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Josephine in 1805. 

Gerard. 



EMPRESSES?/^FRANCE 

BY H. A. G U E R B E R, author 

OF "STORIES OF THE WAGNER OPERAS," 
"STORIES OF FAMOUS OPERAS," "LEGENDS 
OF SWITZERLAND," ETC. J, J. j. 



WITH ILLUSTRATIONS 




NEW YORK ^ DODD • MEAD 
AND COMPANY^ MDCCCCI 



THE LIBRARV OF 
CON€RESS, 

Two Copies Received 

APR. 20 190t 

CoPymCMT ENTBY 

CLASS CLxXo. N*. 
COPY 8. 



Copyright, 1901 
By Dodd, Mjcad and Company 



All rights reserved 



UNIVERSITY PRESS • JOHN WILSON 
AND SON • CAMBRIDGE, U.S.A. 



©etrtcateti 

TO 

MY ELDEST BROTHER 

FREDERIC SAMUEL GUERBER 

WITH WHOM I VISITED MANY OF THE HISTORICAL PLACES 

MENTIONED IN THIS VOLUME 

AND WHO IS THEREFORE LOVINGLY CONNECTED 

WITH THEM IN ALL MY MEMORIES 



EMPRESSES ^Z' FRANCE 



PREFACE 



TN the course of extended researches into the history 
of France, I first became aware of the fact that 
neither in French nor in English does there exist any 
brief yet comprehensive work giving the lives of the 
Queens and Empresses. The lack of such a book having 
proved a great annoyance to me, I felt it would per- 
chance assist other students were I to weave my copious 
notes into consecutive narratives which would also interest 
the general public. 

While the Queens of France are very numerous and 
often insignificant, the Empresses are three women of 
note, whose lives extend over more than a century. As 
their sayings and doings form an important part of the 
stirring history of their time, it has seemed best to give 
them a volume to themselves. 

Josephine, Marie Louise, and Eugenie are names 
which call to mind endless pageants and touching or 
dramatic scenes, which historians, novelists, poets, and 
playwrights have already used in their works, and will 
doubtless use again. Even Marie Louise, characterless 



Preface 

as she was, has recently aroused fresh interest in the liter- 
ary world, owing to the appearance of Edmond Rostand's 
play, which gives, in a series of moving pictures, the 
aspirations and early death of her son, " L'Aiglon," and 
her own intrigues with the man who ultimately became 
her third spouse. 

Two other modern plays, " More than Queen " and 
" Madame Sans Gene," are also connected with the 
Empresses of France, whose varied Hves are described in 
these pages. In admiring the works of poets, novelists, 
or playwrights, it is well also to note how cleverly they 
have taken advantage of the least historical facts, which, 
magnified or brought into greater relief, serve to enhance 
the dramatic force of their novels, poems, or plays. 

The data for these narratives has been carefully collated 
from newspapers, letters, histories, poems, and memoirs 
of the time, thus giving as accurately as possible the 
views held by the Empresses' contemporaries, together 
with any new light modern research could supply. In 
depicting the lives of sovereigns who played prominent 
parts in notoriously licentious courts, it has not been 
deemed possible or advisable to glaze over certain un- 
savoury episodes, or to adapt the book exclusively for 
" babes and sucklings," or even for the wholly ignorant 
or innocent " maid of sixteen." 

It is also not without considerable reluctance that I 
undertook to give an account of the sole survivor of this 



Preface 

unfortunate but brilliant trio, for her misfortunes have 
rendered her sacred to the world at large. But history 
is pitiless, and those who ascend a throne are necessarily 
exposed to the " white light which beats " upon it. In- 
ured to all species of dissection and calumny, as well as 
to the most fulsome flattery, they know it is hard, if not 
impossible, to obtain the exact truth here below. 

Long residence in Paris and familiarity with all French 
sources of information have supplied material which I 
could not else have secured ; and no pains have been 
spared to ascertain the real facts, as well as to collect the 
picturesque gossip and legends, which have all the value 
of history in certain cases. 



Vll 



CONTENTS 

Page 

JOSEPHINE I 

MARIE LOUISE 145 

EUGENIE 250 

Index of Principal Names 407 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 

Josephine in 1805 Frontispiece 

Bonaparte and Eugene de Beauharnais 12 

The Morning of the i8th Brumaire, Nov. 9, 1799 . 44 

Josephine 64 

The Coronation OF Josephine, 1804 90 

Josephine's Bedroom at Fontainebleau 114 

The Divorce of Josephine, 1809 118 

Marie Louise 146 

The Marriage of Marie Louise, 1810 160 

The Triumph of Marie Louise 164 

Review Day under the First Empire, 1810 . . . 168 

Marie Louise and the King of Rome, 181 i . . . 176 

The Imperial Family, 1811-1812 180 

Napoleon and the King of Rome 184 

Napoleon receiving the Portrait of His Son, i8iz 194 

The King of Rome, 18 14 204 

The Duke of Reichstadt 244 

Eugenie 250 

Queen Victoria at the Tuileries, 1855 292 

Return of the Army of Italy, 1859 324 

Reception of the Ambassadors of Siam, 1862 . . 348 

The Emperor, Empress, and Prince Imperial . . . 358 

The Prince Imperial as a Cadet 374 

Eugenie, 1872 394 



Empresses of France 



JOSEPHINE 



7 



■^HE first wife of Napoleon I., Rose Jose- 
phine Tascher de la Pagerie, was born on 
her father's plantation, Les Trois-Islets at 
Martinique, on the 23rd of June, 1763. ^That same 
day the island was formally restored to France after the 
Seven Years' War j so Josephine was born of French 
parents on French soil. 

Brought up like a little queen among her father's 
slaves, she learned to rule in her cradle, and as most of 
her life was spent out of doors amid the luxuriant tropi- 
cal vegetation, she unconsciously imbibed a great love 
for Nature and flowers, colour and perfume. 

Among her earliest recollections was a fearful hurri- 
cane which swept the island when she was only three 
years old, and in which she nearly lost her life. After 
a childhood spent on her father's estate, where her will 
was law, and where all lessons were in the form of play, 
Josephine was sent to a convent school at Port-Royal. 
There she received the usual education of a young lady, 
which consisted mostly in the practices of religion, with 
a mere smattering of accomplishments. This education 
finished, she returned home, and resumed her dreamy, 
indolent life there. In the course of a walk, she and her 
companions once visited an aged negress who told them 
their fortunes. The old woman predicted that Josephine 
would marry, have two children, lose her husband by a 
tragic death, and ended by exclaiming : " And then you 
will be Queen of France — yes j more than queen ! " 

VOL. I. — I I 



Empresses of France 

Although little attention was paid to this prophecy at 
the time, some accounts state that the fortune-teller 
declared that Josephine would be very unhappy toward 
the end of her life, and would die in a hospital in a time of 
dire confusion. But this addition, as well as many of the 
details concerning her first marriage, are evidently later 
accretions, and the only part of the prophecy thoroughly 
authenticated refers to her becoming Queen of France. 

Like most Creoles — a name given to the children of 
European parents born in the West Indies or near the 
tropics — Josephine matured early, and when still a mere 
girl lost her heart to a young English lad. But this first 
love affair was soon checked by her parents, who de- 
cided to marry her to the son of an old neighbour who 
had returned to France. Josephine therefore set sail 
with her father, although she was still so childish that 
she took her doll with her to beguile the long hours on 
shipboard. Arrived at Brest, where the nineteen-year- 
old betrothed. Viscount de Beauharnais, welcomed them, 
the travellers went on to Fontainebleau, where Josephine 
was married on the 12th of December, 1779. 

Shortly after the wedding, the sixteen-year-old bride 
was presented to Marie Antoinette, then at the height 
of her beauty and prosperity. Josephine's first home 
was in Paris, where her married life proved anything but 
happy. The young Viscount de Beauharnais, a favourite 
at court, wished his wife to shine in society ; but as she 
was young and timid, and no beauty, in spite of her 
graceful form, blue eyes, brown hair, and regular features, 
she attracted very little attention. Hoping she might 
attain prominence by her intellectual gifts, which were 
of no mean order, the Viscount next urged Josephine to 
cultivate her mind. But the superficial education she 
had received had instilled no desire for knowledge, and 



Josephine 



as Josephine was naturally indolent and pleasure-loving, 
she devoted little time to serious pursuits. 

When her husband found fault with her, and drew 
unpleasant comparisons between her and the ladies whose 
society he frequented, she grew very jealous, and soon 
began to watch him closely. The young Viscount de 
Beauharnais was not free from the fashionable vices of 
the day, so before long she discovered sufficient cause 
for recrimination and tears, which only embittered her 
own life and made her position more difficult. 

The birth of a son, Eugene, in September, 1781, did 
not effect any great change in the uncomfortable marital 
relations of the ill-assorted Beauharnais couple, and 
shortly after the birth of Hortense in 1783, the Viscount, 
influenced by calumny, began a suit for divorce. Al- 
though he accused Josephine of being unfaithful, no 
satisfactory proofs were ever produced, so the court not 
only acquitted her of all blame, but forced him to pay 
her alimony, while granting them a legal separation. 

Another proof of Josephine's innocence of her hus- 
band's charges, is the continued kindness of her father- 
in-law, who not only took her to his own home at 
Fontainebleau, but devised all sorts of amusements to 
distract her from her sorrows. Once he even took her 
to the Trianon, where she recognised in the Queen's 
beautiful gardens many familiar tropical plants and 
flowers which she had loved as a child. While wan- 
dering through the palace that day, admiring its paint- 
ings, she suddenly found herself face to face with Marie 
Antoinette. The Queen, recognising her, spoke kindly 
to her, gave her the necklace she then wore, and, pre- 
senting her to the King, made him promise a commission 
to Josephine's son, who was of about the same age as 
the first Dauphin. \ 

3 



Empresses of France 

Notwithstanding the kindness of her father-in-law 
and of the royal couple, Josephine was so unhappy in 
France, that she finally decided to accept her father's 
invitation and return to Martinique. Leaving Eugene 
at school near Paris, under his grandfather's protection, 
she therefore set sail with Hortense, in 1788, and spent 
the next two years in her island home. 

During that time, the Viscount de Beauharnais, who 
had incurred the displeasure of his family and the court 
by his unkind treatment of his wife, turned over a new 
leaf, and worked to such good purpose that he won an 
honourable position for himself. He also renewed rela- 
tions with Josephine, and finally induced her to forgive 
the past and return to France in 1790. 

Never a good manager of finances, Josephine found 
barely enough money to pay for her own and her 
daughter's passage, and her travelling outfit was so very 
scanty that Hortense, an active child of seven, set out 
with only one pair of shoes. A good mimic, she had 
learned to dance and sing like the negroes on her grand- 
father's plantation, and greatly amused the sailors during 
the long journey by her childish antics. But constant 
dancing soon wore out the soles of her shoes, and know- 
ing her mother would keep her in the cabin if she dis- 
covered their sorry plight, the child carefully concealed 
it, until she hurt her foot upon a nail. Bloody foot- 
prints betrayed the pitiful state of affairs to Josephine, 
who, weeping profusely, kept the child below until one 
of her sailor friends came in quest of her. As soon as 
he learned the reason of Hortense's detention, he vol- 
unteered the gift of an old pair of shoes of his own, 
which, recut and resewn, served to protect the agile feet 
of the little dancer until they reached France. Many 
years later, when exhibiting the priceless treasures be- 

4 



Josephine 



stowed upon her by the Pope and crowned heads of 
Europe, Josephine laughingly told her ladies that among 
all the gifts she had ever received, the one which had 
pleased her most was the sailor's cast-off shoes ! 

Once re-united, the Beauharnais family lived together 
in " sweet concord," and in 1791 the Viscount became 
President of the Legislative Assembly. As such, he 
received the news of the King's escape and arrest at 
Varennes. But, although he respected and would fain 
have protected the unfortunate royal family, he was an 
ardent republican, and was therefore one of the first to 
give up his aristocratic title. For some time his house 
was a great social centre, and there Josephine met many 
of the noted people of the day. Older now, and less 
timid than when she first came to Paris as a bride, she 
did the honours of her salon with much of the graceful 
tact which later characterised her, and which has never 
been surpassed. Besides, her amiability and invariable 
kindness of heart soon won her many admirers. Al- 
though she took no part in the political discussions of 
the time, she proved an excellent listener, and thoroughly 
enjoyed all her social successes, for she was an innate 
coquette and always very anxious to please. 

When the Legislative Assembly came to an end, the 
Viscount de Beauharnais was appointed general-in-chief 
of the army of the Rhine ; but soon after the King's 
execution, all aristocrats became suspected of favouring 
the royal party. During the Reign of Terror, even the 
staunchest patriots were accused of conspiring against 
their country, if they bore aristocratic names, and 
General de Beauharnais, who had distinguished himself 
in his new office, was therefore deprived of his command 
and recalled to Paris. There Josephine urged him to 
emigrate while it was yet time ; but Beauharnais insisted 

5 



Empresses of France 

that no one could molest so true a patriot as he, and, 
transferring his family to La Ferte, he settled down 
quietly to enjoy rural life with them. 

While living at La Ferte, he learned of the. trial and 
execution of the unhappy Queen Marie Antoinette, and 
his wife again urged him to emigrate. But, in spite of 
her prayers and sundry friendly warnings to escape 
while he could, Beauharnais remained calmly at home, 
until he, too, was suddenly arrested by order of the 
Committee of Safety. 

Leaving her children in the care of a trusted servant 
and of an old aunt, Josephine immediately followed her 
husband to Paris, where she left no stone unturned to 
prove his innocence and effect his release. But the 
French Revolution was now in full swing ; proofs of 
guilt were no longer necessary to sentence a man to 
death, and all Josephine could obtain was a permission 
to visit Beauharnais in prison. Before long, however, 
she, too, incurred the suspicions of the republicans, 
and was arrested and taken to the Carmelite Convent, 
which then served as a place of detention, all the 
ordinary prisons being overcrowded. 

Here Josephine spent nearly four months of captivity. 
She was confined with many other ladies — whose only 
crime consisted in aristocratic name or title — in the 
room where one hundred and twenty priests had been 
massacred two years before. The apartment still bore 
traces of this sanguinary deed, and was generally known as 
the Room of the Three Swords, because a trio of bloody 
weapons, leaned against the wall after the massacre, had 
left indelible imprints upon its white surface. Huddled 
together in this awful place, the poor women strove 
by every means in their power to obtain news from 
without, and beguiled some of the weary hours of con- 

6 



Josephine 



finement by telling each other stories about their happy 
childhood. 

Meanwhile, Josephine's two children, aged eleven 
and twelve, petitioned the government for their parents' 
release ; but all they obtained was a permit to visit their 
mother once every two weeks. As all their interviews 
were in the presence of witnesses, who reported and dis- 
torted all they said, such meetings proved very unsatis- 
factory. But the Beauharnais soon discovered a way 
to outwit the prison authorities, and hid tiny notes 
inside the collar of Fortune, the pet dog which they 
always brought into the prison with them. These, 
Josephine cleverly removed, while pretending to pet the 
little creature, concealing her answers in the same way, 
and thus managed for some time to correspond with 
her husband and friends. But she was soon to be 
deprived of this consolation also. 

The property of all aristocrats was confiscated upon 
their imprisonment, so Josephine's faithful servant soon 
had to support Eugene and Hortense, who were finally 
apprenticed, by order of the government, to a cabinet- 
maker and to a seamstress. The children, kept hard at 
work by their task masters, were no longer allowed to 
visit their mother, and for some time were without 
tidings of either parent. Josephine, who had contrived 
by indirect means to ascertain that her husband had 
been transferred to the Conciergerie to be tried, there- 
fore remained ignorant of his fate, until she saw his 
name in a list of the victims guillotined on the 7th of 
Thermidor, 1794. 

The Viscount de Beauharnais, sentenced to die with 
forty-five other prisoners, spent his last moments in 
writing a touching farewell letter to Josephine. In this 
epistle he begged her pardon for all the sorrows he had 

. 7 



Empresses of France 

caused her, fully acquitted her of all blame in their past 
disagreements, foretold that she and France would yet 
be happy, and sent her, as a last souvenir, the hair which 
had just been cut off preparatory to his death. Letter 
and token were entrusted to a friend, who conveyed 
them safely to Josephine some time later, when she 
had been released from captivity in the Carmelite 
Convent. 

Upon reading her husband's name among the last 
victims of the guillotine, Josephine fell to the ground in 
a swoon, and when she recovered consciousness gave 
way to such violent grief that she became very ill. 
Two days later, the gaoler came to remove her bed, and 
when she languidly inquired whether he meant to give 
her another to replace it, he roughly answered : " You 
won't need any, citizeness. You are ordered to the 
Conciergerie. You know where you go from that 
place ! " 

An eloquent gesture completed the sense of his phrase 
so unmistakably, that it wrung a cry of horror from all 
but Josephine, who neither feared nor hoped for death, 
but seemed utterly indifferent to all that was going on. 
She was not to be left without the poor comfort of a 
pallet, however, for the prison doctor immediately 
ordered her bed restored to her, saying her condition 
was so precarious that she would surely die within a 
week, and thus spare the Republic the expense of a trial 
and execution. 

The gaoler gone, Josephine's companions crowded 
around her in tears ; but she listlessly turned from the 
window out of which she was then gazing, and amazed 
them all by reminding them of the fortune-teller's pre- 
diction, saying : " Ladies, be comforted. I am not to 
die. Don't you know that I must first be queen ? " 

8 



Josephine 



This sounded so much like mockery to her compan- 
ions, that one of them bitterly retorted : '' Then appoint 
your ladies of honour ! " 

Josephine, however, paying no heed to this sally, 
again gazed out of the window into the street below, 
where she now perceived a common woman trying to 
attract her attention. The poor creature first held up 
her rough woollen dress, then picked up a stone, and 
vanished with a gesture which was the exact counter- 
part of that made by the gaoler. Josephine, conjecturing 
that this by-play was intended to convey some message, 
tried to guess the riddle, murmuring : " Dress " (robe) 
'' stone " (pierre) " guillotined ! " without being able to 
understand. But just then one of the keepers kicked a 
barking dog, muttering : " Will you be quiet, you dog 
of a Robespierre ! " The pantomime and the gaoler's 
half-uttered curse, were enough for the quick-witted 
Josephine, and as soon as the man was out of hearing, 
she triumphantly announced to her companions that 
Robespierre had fallen from power, and had evidently 
paid the penalty of his crimes. 

These tidings caused great rejoicing among the 
prisoners, whose only hope lay in the bloody tyrant's 
fall. One of the captives, Madame de Fontenay, 
prided herself upon having caused his' ruin, because she 
had written to her lover, Tallien, warning him that his 
name was on the proscription lists, and bidding him act 
at once or he would die. This note, carefully concealed 
in a cabbage stalk, and cast out of the prison window, 
was picked up by a friend and carried to Tallien, who, 
as Madame de Fontenay advised, acted boldly. The 
very day that Robespierre fell and was sentenced, this 
lady was released from prison ; but, mindful of her fellow- 
captives, she procured their freedom two days later. 

9 



Empre ises of France 

Josephine, a widow, ill and penniless, now went to 
join her family, and after a short time spent in mourn- 
ing and regaining strength, returned to Paris to try and 
recover some of her husband's confiscated property for 
her own and her children's support. The beautiful 
Madame de Fontenay — now called Madame Tallien 
— kindly took Josephine under her protection, inviting 
her to dinner several times a week, and introducing her 
to all the influential people who might further her cause. 
Knowing Josephine's poverty, she thoughtfully supplied 
her most urgent needs and relieved her from all possible 
expense. For instance, wheat was then so scarce that 
only small rations of white bread were sold to persons 
rich enough to indulge in such a luxury. In issuing 
dinner invitations, therefore, ladies made it a rule to 
request their guests to bring their own bread. But 
Madame Tallien always made an exception in favour 
of Josephine, whom she generously supplied with this 
precious food. 

Exerting every charm to attain her ends, Josephine 
won back a few fragments of her property. She also 
journeyed to Hamburg to arrange with a banker there 
for remittances from Martinique, and on her return 
rented a small house from actor Talma, in Chante- 
reine Street. Here she lived for some time, frequent- 
ing republican society, not only because she delighted in 
company, but because she hoped thereby to further her 
own and her children's interests. 

At that time her real poverty was cleverly concealed 
under an appearance of affluence, which she kept up by 
expedients, and it is said she had only six undergarments 
to sixteen dresses. A mistress of the art of pleasing, 
she revelled in the luxurious, licentious society which 
met in the drawing-room of Barras at the Luxembourg, 



Josephin.^ 



or in the salons of Madame T allien, Madame de Stael, 
and other fast or fashionable ladies of the day. 

Using all her arts of coquetry and dress, Josephine 
not only tried to reach her own ends by flattering Bar- 
ras and the other members of the Convention, but won 
countless favours for former friends and acquaintances, 
in the same way. It was probably in the salon of Bar- 
ras that she first met Napoleon Bonaparte, where, accord- 
ing to one account, he eagerly inquired who she was, 
while she was bending over a bunch of violets. 

Four years before, young and unknown, this remark- 
able man, watching the attack upon the Tuileries, grimly 
muttered that if the King would only turn his cannon 
upon the mob, the revolt could soon be quelled. A year 
later, in 1793, at the siege of Toulon, he showed so 
much strategic skill, and won such distinction, that 
Barras, who was present on that occasion, chose him 
as helper, when called upon to put down the revolt of 
the sections on the 13th of Vendemiaire (October, 1795). 
Not only were the sections disarmed by Bonaparte's 
order, but searches were made in all the houses for any 
weapons which might be concealed there by the rebels. 

According to one story, on the first anniversary of the 
Viscount de Beauharnais' death, Josephine gave Eugene 
his father's picture and sword. These he proudly hung 
up in his own room, and worshipping his father's mem- 
ory, he soon induced six of his comrades to form with 
him the " Order of Filial Love," each member wearing 
a portrait of General de Beauharnais as badge and tak- 
ing a solemn oath upon his famous sword. One day, 
on returning from school, Eugene was heartbroken to 
learn that this precious sword had been forcibly removed. 
He immediately sped to the Tuileries, where he elo- 
quently pleaded with Bonaparte for its restitution. 

II 



Empresses of France 

Touched by the lad's filial love and patriotic fervour, 
Bonaparte restored the weapon, and treated him so 
kindly that Josephine felt it incumbent upon her to call 
and thank the republican officer. 

Flattered by the visit of this graceful lady, who bore 
an old and aristocratic name, Bonaparte soon returned 
her call, and having fallen violently in love with her at 
first sight, began to woo her with all the impetuous ardour 
of his nature. Meeting her at Barras', Tallien's, and in 
all the fashionable salons, and assuming that she must 
be as prosperous as she appeared, Bonaparte, although 
dependent upon his pay only, urged her to marry him 
soon. But his own family greatly opposed the match, and 
Josephine's two children also objected, at first ; while 
Barras did all he could to favour the plan. It may be, 
as some authorities claim, that the latter had grown weary 
of Josephine's extravagance and constant importunity in 
behalf of her friends, and that he was anxious to provide 
for her, so she should cease to trouble him. The fact 
remains, however, that he urged her to accept the Gen- 
eral's hand, for he said : — 

" I want you to marry little Bonaparte, whom I shall 
name general-in-chief, for I am reserving for him the 
conquest of Italy." 

At that time Josephine was not in love with Bona- 
parte, but merely flattered by his devotion, for many 
people now endorsed Barras' opinion : " That Cor- 
sican will do great things." Her first marriage had 
not proved a success, and although far from being an 
inconsolable widow, she considered a Bonaparte rather 
beneath her in rank. Besides, the new suitor impressed 
her as too visionary to prove a desirable husband, and 
she openly marvelled at his independence and conceit 
when he hotly resented Barras' patronage, crying: 





Bonaparte and Eugene de Beauharnais. 

G renter. 



Josephine 



*' Do they think I need protection to insure success ? 
Some day they will be only too happy if I grant them 
mine. My sword is at my side, and that will carry me 
a long way." 

On the part of so young and untried an officer, this 
language did seem boastful in the extreme, and Josephine 
was not blind to that fact. Bait, at the same time, she 
stood in some awe of her strange suitor, for she wrote to 
a friend : — 

" I admire the General's courage, the extent of his in- 
formation about all manner of things, concerning which 
he talks equally well ; the quickness of his intelligence, 
which makes him catch the thought of another even be- 
fore it is expressed ; but I confess that I am afraid of 
the power he seems to wield over all about him. His 
piercing scrutiny has in it something strange and inex- 
plicable, that awes even our Directors : think, then, how 
it frightens a woman." 

The result was, that unable to resist Bonaparte's ener- 
getic wooing, Josephine finally consented to marry him, 
reasoning that a civil contract — the only one current 
at that time — could easily be broken, should she ever 
wish to recover her freedom. The match seemed so far 
beneath her, however, that her lawyer vehemently re- 
monstrated when she told him about it, although she had 
entered his study with a stranger, who gazed dreamily out 
of the window while she transacted her business. The 
lawyer, finding her obstinate, finally exclaimed : '' Bona- 
parte ! Why, madame, he has nothing but his hat and 
his sword ! " 

These words were uttered in tones so loud, that it 
was impossible the stranger should not have heard them, 
and Josephine, wishing to end an embarrassing interview, 
laughingly addressed him, saying : — 

13 



Empresses of France 

" General, have you heard what Monsieur Raguideau 

has said ? " 

" Yes," answered Bonaparte, turning around suddenly, 
" and he has spoken like an honest man. What he has 
said to you makes me esteem him highly. I hope he 
will continue to take charge of our affairs, for I am ready 
to trust him wholly." 

The banns were now published, and Bonaparte an- 
nounced his coming marriage to the government, saying : 
" It is a new tie which binds me to my country ; an- 
other pledge of my firm resolve to stake my fate on the 
Republic." 

Two weeks after the first notification of his coming 
marriage, Bonaparte received the promised appoint- 
ment as General-in-Chief of the Army of Italy, and 
on the 9th of March, 1796, he and Josephine were 
united in matrimony in the presence of Barras, Lemarrois, 
Tallien,and Calmelet, who signed their names as witnesses 
on the marriage register. As it was impossible to obtain 
legal papers from Martinique just then, owing to the 
war, Josephine was dispensed from producing her cer- 
tificate of birth, and could thus approximate her age to 
Bonaparte's, making herself appear four years younger 
than she actually was, while he resorted to a similar strata- 
gem to make himself seem two years older. Both bride 
and groom, therefore, registered their ages as twenty-eight, 
and, leaving the tribunal, went to Josephine's tiny house, 
6 rue Chantereine, where they spent a brief honeymoon. 

This was Bonaparte's first serious passion, and all his 
friends bear witness that he felt it with all the energy of 
his character. He knew, however, that Josephine did 
not yet love him, and when urged to depart for Italy 
and conquer, passionately exclaimed : " A conquest ! I 
crave but one, the heart of Josephine ! " 

14 



Josephine 



In spite of his unmistakable passion for his newly- 
wedded wife, his passion for glory was still greater, and 
even during the two short days he spent with Josephine 
at 6 rue Chantereine, he managed to lock himself up 
in another room to study his maps and plan his coming 
campaign. When she rapped on the door, begging ad- 
mittance, he told her through the keyhole that they must 
adjourn love until victory was won. Two days after his 
wedding, Bonaparte tore himself away from Josephine, 
and set out with Junot for Nice. During that post- 
journey, he made sundry stops, and every time he paused 
to rest, he dashed off vehement love-letters to Josephine, 
in which he wrote : " You are the perpetual object of 
my thoughts, my imagination exhausts itself in wondering 
what you are doing. If I picture you sad, my heart is 
rent and my sorrow increased. If you seem merry, play- 
ful with your friends, I upbraid you for having so readily 
forgotten our painful separation of three long days." 

Far more in love than his wife, he even vows he is 
not sure he has rested well until he knows she has slept 
peacefully, and all his letters testify to the intense fervour 
of his affection for his absent bride. 

On the 22nd of March, Bonaparte reached the head- 
quarters of the Army of Italy at Nice, and by a fervid 
proclamation to the soldiers roused their enthusiasm and 
confidence to the highest pitch. But even in the midst 
of his constant absorbing duties, and on the eve of his 
first battle, he still found time to write love-letters to 
Josephine, in which he declares that the history of his 
life is expressed in the words : " To live for Josephine ! " 
and pleads incoherently for her love, saying : " Love me 
like your eyes ; but no, that is Aot enough ; love me like 
yourself, more than yourself, like your thought, your 
mind, your life, your all ! " 

15 



Empresses of France 

In one letter he is full of hope, grateful for any token 
of affection on her part, and charmed with anything she 
writes. In the next, he is extravagantly jealous, com- 
plains of her coldness, and vows he fears nothing so 
much as losing his place in her heart. All his hopes 
centre in her, and on " Fate," in which he places a curi- 
ous trust, as he testifies by having the words " To Des- 
tiny " inscribed inside Josephine's wedding ring. 

During the second week in April, 1796, Bonaparte 
writes : " A loving thought from my only wife, and a 
victory from fate, that is what I long for; a single 
thought, an undivided one, worthy of the one who thinks 
of you at every moment of the day ! " 

Although history does not state whether the undivided 
thought for which he longed ever fell to his lot, we 
know that he won the battle of Montenotte on the 
morrow, and two days later that of Millesimo. During 
the armistice of Cherasco, which followed these triumphs, 
he despatched Junot to Paris with the captured flags, en- 
trusting to his care a passionate letter to Josephine, in 
which he implores her to place herself under the protec- 
tion of Junot and of Joseph Bonaparte, and join him 
without delay, or he will fall ill with longing for her. 

Junot made such good speed on this errand, that he 
posted from Nice to Paris in one hundred and twenty 
hours, and when the news of the French triumph in 
Italy became known in the capital, the people became 
almost delirious with joy. Josephine, hearing Bona- 
parte's name in every mouth, no longer regretted her 
marriage, and during the next few weeks greatly enjoyed 
being the cynosure of all eyes at the patriotic demon- 
strations in honour of the victories her husband had 
won. Dressed with the utmost care, and escorted by 
the handsome young Junot, she gracefully descended the 

16 



Josephine 



steps of the Luxembourg on the loth of May, revelling 
in the sensation she created ; for every one was saying, — 

" There, that 's his wife. . . . That 's his aide-de- 
camp. . . . How pretty she is ! Long live General 
Bonaparte ! Long live Citizeness Bonaparte ! She is 
kind to poor folks." 

Her slender, supple form, graceful carriage, dainty 
dress, and careful use of cosmetics, so cleverly concealed 
her real age, that the spectators really thought her both 
young and beautiful, and even her detractors admitted 
that Madame Bonaparte was still lovely then. The 
cheers of the people, however, would have been even 
louder and more enthusiastic on this occasion, had they 
but known that the man whom they were acclaiming 
had just won the battle of Lodi, and that he was to make 
a triumphal entrance in Milan on the 15th. But the 
arrival of these joyful tidings a few days later afforded an 
excuse for new celebration, on the Champ de Mars, on 
the 29th of May, where there were more cheers and a 
new ovation for Josephine. 

This was the Golden Age of the French Republic, 
when officers and soldiers were all alike young and en- 
thusiastic, when they all thirsted for fame more than 
gain, and when Bonaparte, who won his nickname of 
" Little Corporal " at the battle of Lodi, exultantly 
cried : "With twenty thousand men like those, one 
could sweep all across Europe ! " When he said this, 
one of his stalwart grenadiers confidently retorted : 
" Let the Little Corporal go on leading us at this rate, 
and I promise he won't find us lagging behind ! " 

But although Bonaparte was received with the wildest 

enthusiasm at Milan, although the most charming ladies 

crowded around him seeking his favour, he constantly 

longed for Josephine, and had no eyes for any other 

VOL. I. — 2 17 



Empresses of France 

woman. At the state reception on the i6th of May, at 
the planting of the Liberty Tree, and at the gala per- 
formance at the Scala on the i8th, he ardently wished 
that Josephine were beside him, sharing his triumphs ; 
wondered at her delay in joining him, and waxed jealous 
because he fancied himself forgotten. Like most true 
lovers, he was nervous and superstitious, and when the 
glass over her picture — which he constantly wore next 
his heart — was accidentally broken, he turned fearfully 
pale, and despairingly cried that Josephine must be either 
ill or unfaithful ! 

The fact was, however, that Josephine was not ill at 
all, but enjoying his triumphs in the midst of her friends. 
Parisian society now seemed doubly fascinating to her ; 
she delighted in all the adulation she received, was far 
too indolent not to dread a long, fatiguing journey, and 
therefore kept postponing her departure from day to day. 
Bonaparte's fiery letters tickled her vanity without touch- 
ing her heart very deeply, for when he became so jealous 
and despairing that he tragically wrote : " Beware of 
Othello's dagger ! " she laughed indulgently, and gently 
remarked to her friends : " Bonaparte is very funny ! " 

As a last pretext she took advantage of a slight indis- 
position to hint that it might be wiser to abstain from so 
long a journey when in an interesting condition. This 
letter cast Bonaparte into a fever of anxiety and appre- 
hension, and called forth an answer, part of which is 
given here : — 

" I care for honour because you do, for victory be- 
cause it gratifies you, otherwise I would have left all 
else to throw myself at your feet. Dear friend, be sure 
and say that you are convinced that I love you above all 
that can be imagined, — convinced that every moment 
of my time is consecrated to you ; that never an hour 

i8 



Josephine 

passes without thought of you ; that it never occurred to 
me to think of another woman ; that they are all, in my 
eyes, without grace, without beauty, without wit ; that 
you — you alone, as I see you, as you are — could 
please and absorb all the faculties of my soul; that you 
have fathomed all its depths ; that my heart has no fold 
hidden from you, no thoughts which are not attendant 
upon you ; that my strength, my arms, my mind, are all 
yours ; that my soul is in your form, and that the day 
you change, or the day you cease to live, will be that of 
my death ; that nature, the earth, is lovely in my eyes 
only because you dwell within it. If you do not believe 
all this, if your soul is not permeated, saturated with this 
thought, you distress me, you do not love me. Between 
those who love there is a magnetic bond. You know 
that 1 could never see you with a lover, much less en- 
dure your having one ; to see him and to tear out his 
heart would for me be one and the same thing ; and 
then, if I could, I would lay violent hands upon your 
sacred person. . . . No, I would never dare, but I 
would leave a world where that which is most virtuous 
had deceived me. I trust in and am proud of your 
love. Misfortunes are trials which mutually develop 
the strength of our passion. A child lovely as its 
mother is to see the light in your arms. Wretched man 
that I am, a single day would satisfy me ! A thousand 
kisses on your eyes, on your lips. Adorable woman ! 
What a power you have ! I am sick when you are 
sick; besides, I have a burning fever. Detain the 
courier only six hours, and let him return at once, 
bringing to me the darling letter of my queen." 

Not content with writing thus to his wife, he also 
sends an extravagant letter to his brother, imploring him 
to forward tidings of Josephine, and offering to give up 

19 



Empresses of France 

everything and return to Paris, if she cannot travel with- 
out endangering her precious health, for he can no longer 
live without her. 

These letters and the complete disappearance of all 
symptoms which could have prevented her journey, 
finally induced Josephine to tear herself away from her 
beloved Paris, leaving Hortense in Madame Campan's 
boarding-school. Stepping into her travelling carriage, 
on the 24th of June, — sobbing as if her heart would 
break, — Josephine, attended by her maid, and escorted 
by her brother-in-law, Junot, and another officer, set out 
for Italy. Her tears were soon dried, however, and 
some writers claim that she beguiled the weary hours of 
the journey by a very lively flirtation with one of her 
fellow-travellers. On the way to Italy, they met sun- 
dry couriers, all bearing letters from Bonaparte to Jose- 
phine, who could not help being flattered by these con- 
stant tokens of her husband's devotion. Besides, her 
journey seemed one long ovation, and when she reached 
Milan, she was met at the city gate by Duke Serbelloni, 
who formally escorted her to his beautiful palace, which 
had been placed at the victorious general's disposal. 

Bonaparte, who had been watching for Josephine 
with such feverish impatience, was, to his great chagrin, 
absent from the city just then ; but as soon as duty per- 
mitted, he hastened to join his beloved wife. One of his 
friends, writing of this time, states : " At Milan, Gen- 
eral Bonaparte was very happy, for then he lived for his 
wife only. Such was the state of affairs for a long time. 
Never did a purer, truer, more exclusive love take pos- 
session of the heart of a man, and this was a man of a 
superior order." 

The fact of his superiority was now very apparent to 
Josephine, for the bridegroom from whom she had parted 

20 



Josephine 



a few weeks before, the penniless young officer whose 
alliance had been considered far beneath her, had already 
attained an exalted position, and was even then treating 
with Pope and kings as with equals. The whole penin- 
sula rang with his name, because he had freed northern 
Italy from bondage, claiming, in exchange for his services, 
great sums of money and priceless art treasures, which 
greatly enriched France. Besides, he was about to re- 
new the war with the Austrians, under Wiirmser, a fact 
which forced him again to part from Josephine, whom 
he promised to send for as soon as he could. 

Every courier brought her new letters just as passion- 
ate as before, assuring her of his constant love and devo- 
tion, and saying : " Incessantly I recall to memory your 
kisses, your tears, your delightful jealousy, and Jose- 
phine's peerless charms incessantly kindle a live and 
burning flame in my heart and in my senses. When 
shall I — free from care, from all claims of duty — be 
able to spend every instant beside you, to have nothing 
to do but to love you, nothing to think of, but to talk to 
you of my love and to prove it to you. ... I thought I 
loved you a few days ago, but since I have seen you 
again I feel that I love you a thousand times more." 
Such is his love for her that it includes all she cares for; 
her children even seem like his own, and although he 
heartily dislikes dogs, he is so infatuated, that he sends 
" Millions of kisses, and even to Fortune, in spite of his 
naughtiness." 

Love and warfare fill all his heart and mind, and 
although in the very midst of military operations, he still 
finds time for sentimental walks by moonlight along the 
shores of the Italian lakes, where he dreams of Josephine. 
Two days without news drive him almost frantic, and 
when a courier arrives at last and fails to bring a letter 

21 



Empresses of France 

from her, he who sent her " a thousand kisses as hot as 
my heart, as pure as yourself," writes, in playful reproach : 

" Shame upon you. You are a wicked, cruel, homely 
tyrant ; a pretty little monster. If I could, you know, 
lock you up in my heart, I would imprison you there 
for ever ! " 

After the victory of Castiglione, he immediately sends 
for her, because he fancies she brings him good luck, and 
considers her the embodiment of his " Star." He is right, 
for it is she who determines him to leave Brescia, a few 
hours before Wiirmser attacks the city, and thus saves 
him from capture. Josephine, herself caught in the 
eddying tide of warfare, sheds bitter tears at the sight of 
the wounded, and Bonaparte, beside himself with rage, 
then grinds his teeth and registers a grim vow that 
" Wiirmser shall pay dear for the tears you shed." He 
further declares, with all a lover's exaltation : " I will 
comfort her. She shall have all joys, all glories. I will 
make that face, now bathed in tears, beam with de- 
light." 

Fired by love and ambition, Bonaparte, after sending 
Josephine to central Italy, begins a six days' campaign, 
which, after two battles and four fights, leaves him vic- 
torious, with twenty -one flags and 16,000 prisoners. 

Josephine, in the meanwhile, has been in imminent 
danger of capture and death, for she barely left the 
chapel where she had taken refuge, when it was entirely 
destroyed by Austrian cannon balls from Mantua. Dur- 
ing this brief separation Bonaparte again writes : " Ab- 
sence is horrible; the nights are long, wearisome, and 
lonely ; the days monotonous. A thousand kisses, very 
sweet, very tender, very exclusive ! In a few days we 
shall see each other again ; that is the sweetest reward for 
all my fatigue and efforts." 

22 



Josephine 



Josephine, in writing to her aunt and sending gifts to 
her children, now declares that she is weary of the 
honours lavished upon her, and complains of her health ; 
but she concludes her letter, saying : " I have the most 
amiable husband one could find. I have not even time 
to wish for anything. My will is his. He worships me 
all day long, just as if I were a divinity ; it is impossible 
to find a better husband." But while she vows she can 
find no fault with him, he gently chides her for not writ- 
ing more often and fully, and threatens to pounce upon 
her unexpectedly, some dark night, just as if he were a 
jealous spouse, adding : " Your letters are as cold as if 
you were fifty, as cold as if they were written after fif- 
teen years of marriage ! " 

Soon, however, he has other causes of anxiety besides 
Josephine's fancied coldness, for the Directory fails to 
send the troops and supplies he asks, and, jealous of his 
fame, threatens to divide the command he has hitherto 
held alone. Bonaparte, incensed, asks for his release, 
pleading impaired health ; which is no vain excuse, for 
he is now a prey to malarial fever, as well as to the skin 
disease which troubled him ever since the siege of Toulon. 
Still, in the midst of battles, disappointment, sickness, 
cares, and excitement, he never forgets Josephine, but 
sends her hasty, illegible, misspelled, eccentric letters, 
full of passionate protests of ardent love, and of longing 
to be with her once more. 

On the eve of Areola, he is again despondent, and the 
situation seems so precarious to everyone that the 
Milanese, dreading that the worst may come, keep close 
watch night and day over Josephine, lest she should slip 
away and abandon them to their fate. But although it 
seems as if Bonaparte cannot escape from the Austrian 
toils, he slips out of Verona on November 14th, to return 

23 



Empresses of France 

triumphant four days later, having won a great victory 
at Areola. 

Exposure during this brief campaign brings on new 
attacks of fever, and, being in a morbid frame of mind, 
he again doubts Josephine's love. His suspicions in- 
crease, when, upon returning unexpectedly to Milan, he 
finds that she has gone to Genoa. But her absence is 
legitimate, for that repentant city is giving a brilliant fete 
in her honour. While there, she is so busy receiving 
visits and congratulations, attending balls and hearing 
serenades, that she finds no time to write him a line. 
But although Bonaparte reproaches her, he confesses it 
is foolish on his part to expect " lace to weigh as much 
as gold," and fervently prays : " May fate concentrate 
in my heart all sorrow and troubles, but may it grant to 
my Josephine none but happy and prosperous days." 
His fit of morbid jealousy is entirely dispelled by 
his wife's return, however, and contemporary writings 
testify to her happy influence over him. " The General- 
in-chief was then steeped in the bliss of his marriage ; 
Madame Bonaparte was charming, and all the cares of 
the government of Italy did not prevent her husband 
from revelling in all the happiness of his home." 

By this time Bonaparte had assumed all the state 
his position demanded, and the glittering pink-granite 
Serbelloni palace was the centre of a brilliant military 
court, which included eight of the General's aides-de- 
camp. Here Josephine presided with ineffable grace. 
She was so fascinating, and so cleverly seconded her 
husband's effbrts, that she fully justified his proud boast : 
" I win battles ; Josephine wins me hearts." 

Bonaparte's name had now become so famous, and 
France was so proud of him, that the Directory com- 
missioned the artist Gros to paint his portrait, flag in 

24 



Josephine 



hand, as he appeared on the bridge of Areola. The 
painter, therefore, came to Milan, where he vainly begged 
for a sitting. But the successful General had not the 
patience for such an ordeal, and Josephine, forced to resort 
to stratagem, held her husband fast on her lap for a few 
moments every day after breakfast, as that was the only 
way in which he could be induced to pose for his famous 
picture. Bonaparte was then the slender, sallow youth 
with the inspired glance, so ably depicted by Gros, and 
whenever any of the emigres saw him, they deemed 
this unhealthy colour a sure sign of early demise, and 
openly rejoiced at the prospect of being soon rid of 
the republican general. 

Bonaparte's happy life at Milan was again interrupted 
by a last desperate effort on the part of General Wiirmser 
to recover lost ground. But the battles of Rivoli, La 
Favorita, and Corona, forced him to evacuate Mantua 
early in February, 1797, and thus enabled Bonaparte to 
dictate terms of peace to Austria. During this cam- 
paign, notwithstanding his many triumphs, Bonaparte 
writes to Josephine : " I never was so bored as during 
this horrid war." Then, learning that she is ill, he 
becomes almost frantic, and says : " Believe me, noth- 
ing equals my love for you, unless it is my anxiety." 

On the 19th of February, 1797, Bonaparte signed the 
treaty of Tolentino with the Pope, and sent word to 
Josephine to join him as soon as possible, charging her 
meanwhile : " Write to me, think of me, and love me. 
Thine for life." Although most of Bonaparte's letters 
written during this war have been carefully preserved, 
most of Josephine's are lost ; but they are said to have 
been comparatively cold and fragmentary, for at that 
time, the love was mostly on his side, she graciously 
allowing herself to be adored. 

25 



Empresses of France 

The Italians, who loved Bonaparte because they could 
claim him as a fellow-countryman, greatly admired 
Josephine's graceful self-possession, and the nobles, 
recognising her as their equal, did not resent her exalted 
position or begrudge her the gifts and homage showered 
upon her. Then, too, Josephine still exerted considera- 
ble influence over Barras, her tact preventing many a 
serious collision between Bonaparte and the Directory. 

Although thirty-four years old and somewhat faded, she 
made so skilful a use of paint and powder that she still 
appeared youthful, and her husband was so enamoured 
that he was absolutely faithful to her, although fidelity 
on the part of a man was not the rule in his day. He, 
therefore, deserved great credit, for many fair creatures 
had tried to shake him in his allegiance to Josephine. 
This circumspect conduct, however, proved good policy 
too, for had he given way to any excesses, he would 
undoubtedly have incurred the censure of the older offi- 
cers, who were already somewhat jealous of his superior 
talents and position. 

The heat proving oppressive in the city, Bonaparte 
and his household removed in May to the charming 
castle of Montebello, five miles from Milan, where he 
spent three months, surrounded by a host of generals, 
army contractors, noblemen, ladies, etc. Here, too, he 
received his mother, his two brothers, Joseph and Louis, 
and his three sisters, Pauline, Eliza, and Caroline. For 
their entertainment, the " court of Montebello " made 
several excursions to the Italian lake region, visiting 
many interesting places, including the charming Borro- 
mean islands. It was at Montebello, also, that Pauline 
Bonaparte, young, pretty, and giddy, was married to 
General Leclerc, Bonaparte having consented to this 
match principally because he thought it would please the 
republican party. ^6 



Josephine 



/ One of Bonaparte's favourite amusements at this time 
) was telling ghost stories at nightfall, and he was never 
j so happy as when he had frightened Josephine so sorely 
[ that she clung timidly to him. Besides he often left his 
work for a few moments to join his guests in the garden 
at Montebello, and once slyly shook a heavily laden tree 
so that the fruit came thumping down upon the heads 
and shoulders of the fair ladies collected beneath it. 
Most of them ran away screaming and laughing ; but 
Josephine stood quite still, and when Bonaparte con- 
gratulated her upon standing fire as well as his grena- 
diers, she sweetly answered : " And why should I not ? 
Am I not the wife of their commander ? " 

Her pet dog Fortune, having accompanied her thither, 
Bonaparte once pointed him out to a guest, saying with 
mock fury : " Do you see his lordship yonder ? He 's 
my rival. He was in full possession of madame's bed 
when I married her. I tried to oust him, but in vain. 
I was told I must make up my mind to share the bed 
with him, or sleep alone elsewhere. It vexed me con- 
siderably, but there was no alternative. So I made 
the best of it. But he — the favourite — proved less 
accommodating than I, and I still bear tokens of that 
fact on my leg." 

Bonaparte was soon avenged, however, for Fortune, 
having ventured to attack a big dog belonging to the 
cook, was suddenly caught in the mongrel's teeth and 
flung aside a moment later with a broken spine. The 
cook, trembling lest the General's wrath should be 
visited upon him, was greatly relieved when Bonaparte 
secretly tipped him, confessing that he was not at all 
sorry to be rid of his wife's troublesome pet. 

On the 14th of July, 1797, on the anniversary of the 
taking of the Bastille, Bonaparte and his court returned 

27 



Empresses of France 

to Milan, where a grand military celebration took place, 
to the great delight of the Milanese. Although Bona- 
parte was very republican in his tastes, and in general 
simple and unostentatious, he knew when and how to 
dazzle people by his pomp, and loved to impress the 
public by an occasional display which, although some- 
what theatrical according to present views, never failed 
to produce the effect he desired. 

Although very busy looking after the welfare of his 
troops, and arranging for the government of the recently 
freed and conquered provinces, Bonaparte was not blind 
to the political intrigues at home. It was during the 
summer of 1797 that he sent Augereau to Paris with an 
army of twelve thousand men, to uphold the authority 
of the Directory or executive party, which was then at 
odds with the legislative party or the Council of Five 
Hundred. In doing this, he defeated the plans of the 
Moderates and Royalists on the i8th of Fructidor, and 
thus prevented a new outbreak of civil war in France. 

Pauline's marriage festivities being ended, and the 
Bonaparte family having again departed, the General and 
Josephine went on to Passeriano, to meet a new Austrian 
commissioner, and settle the terms of the much dis- 
cussed peace. The Emperor of Austria, hoping to 
awe his adversary, sent a finished diplomat, the Count 
of Cobentzel. But although this nobleman fancied 
it would be a comparatively easy task to intimidate 
Bonaparte by his grand manner and diplomatic skill, he 
soon found the republican general more than a match 
for him. 

The Directory, jealous of Bonaparte's fame, proved so 
troublesome at this time, that all Josephine's efforts were 
required to keep the peace between her husband and 
Barras, whose jealousy and antagonism were growing 

28 



Josephine 



daily. Bonaparte, therefore, again ofFered to resign, but 
his proposal was not accepted, because the Directors 
dreaded the censure of the people, a contingency which 
Bonaparte had foreseen and which enabled him to carry 
out his own plans more fully. 

The Venetians, whom he had determined to sacrifice 
in order to wrest Mantua and the Adige from Austria, 
now invited him to visit their city, offering to give a 
celebration in his honour. Lacking in truth and honour, 
and most unscrupulous, Bonaparte could nevertheless 
not accept such an invitation from a people he meant 
to betray, so he sent Josephine in his stead, and she 
graced the celebration with all her wonted benevolence 
and amiability. During the four days of perpetual en- 
chantment she spent in Venice, there were regattas by 
day and by night on the Grand Canal and Lagoons, 
illuminations, serenades, balls, and torchlight processions. 
Flowers, gifts, and speeches were showered upon her, and 
the great officers of the republic did their best to please 
her, and thus conciliate the favour of her husband. But 
in the midst of these festivities, their hearts were sore, for 
French experts had come to select the works of art 
which were to be sent as tribute to Paris, and in punish- 
ment for a popular uprisal in the spring the bronze 
horses were removed from St. Mark's. Not only were 
these and other masterpieces carried off, but the state 
ship " Bucentaur " was destroyed, because it could not 
weather the storms to which it would be exposed during 
a round-about journey to Paris, and the French would 
not leave such a trophy in the hands of the Venetians. 

While Josephine was receiving this superb ovation 
from the Venetian authorities, and the French troops in 
garrison there, Bonaparte was hastening the conclusion 
of the treaty, which he was determined to sign before 

29 



Empresses of France 

the Directory could interfere with his plans. Finding 
the Austrians still inclined to temporise, he clinched 
matters by giving vent to a simulated burst of passion, 
wherein he seized a trayful of precious china, — the gift 
of the Russian empress Catherine, — and violently 
dashed it to pieces on the floor, crying : " You want 
war ; well, you shall have it. See, your Austrian Mon- 
archy will be broken up like that before three months 
are over ! " 

Then he marched out of the room where the con- 
ference had been held, and mounting his horse, rode 
away without deigning to listen to the apologies and 
explanations offered by the Austrian plenipotentiaries. 
They were so thoroughly frightened by this volcanic 
outburst of fury, that they consented the selfsame day 
to the conditions he imposed. Bonaparte immediately 
became as amiable as if no difference had occurred, and, 
while waiting for the clerks to finish drafting the double 
copies of the treaty of Campo Formio, entertained the 
Austrian diplomats with ghost stories, told so graphically 
that they greatly frightened poor Josephine. When the 
copies were finished, the treaty of Campo Formio was 
duly signed, and arrangements were made for an ex- 
change of prisoners, which included among other famous 
people, Madame Royale, the daughter of Louis XVI., 
now only released from her prison in the Temple. 

Bonaparte proudly refused the estates, titles, and 
millions offered him by the Emperor of Germany, and 
accepted only six magnificent horses. But although he 
posed as modest and disinterested, the war booty had 
been immense; and while he affected to leave it all to 
his officers and men, he secured considerable money for 
himself, as well as for his ever-greedy and needy family. 

The treaty signed, Bonaparte went back to Milan, 
30 



Josephine 



and proceeded from thence to Turin, where the King of 
Sardinia presented him with a beautiful horse, around 
whose neck he had also hung a magnificent diamond 
necklace for Josephine. At Turin, Bonaparte parted 
with his wife, and while the former journeyed north- 
ward to attend the peace congress at Rastadt, Josephine 
remained in Italy to see her son Eugene, then garrisoned 
there. 

When Bonaparte reached Paris on the 5th of Decem- 
ber, 1797, Josephine had not yet arrived ; so his brothers, 
who had always opposed the marriage, and who dreaded 
her influence, took advantage of her absence to try and 
poison his mind against her. In fact, the Bonaparte 
family, Barras, and several other noted persons, accuse 
Josephine of having led a fast and immoral life, not only 
before Beauharnais died, and during her widowhood, but 
even after her marriage with Bonaparte. Many writers 
claim, however, that while her conduct was undoubtedly 
frivolous, and often imprudent, no fault was proved 
against her either during her first or second marriage ; 
although others acknowledge that Josephine was any- 
thing but inconsolable during her period of mourning, 
and that she followed the corrupt examples of her prin- 
cipal associates during those licentious times. 

However this may be, the machinations of his family, 
his own jealousy, and current gossip, could not destroy 
Bonaparte's love for his wife, whom he welcomed gladly 
on her return. It is said by some that she came 
back in time to witness from a balcony the grand fete 
given at the Luxembourg, on the loth of December, in 
honour of the treaty of Campo Formio. There, in the 
presence of the government and the people, Bonaparte 
solemnly delivered the treaty he had just signed, and 
gave a modest account of the sixty-seven battles he 

31 



Empresses of France 

had fought during the Italian campaign. But while 
Josephine was radiant, he seemed rather indifferent 
to, and even bored by the constant acclamations of the 
enthusiastic people. 

Early in January, 1798, he and Josephine attended a 
grand ball given by Talleyrand, where Josephine shone 
with all her wonted grace, and where Madame de Stael 
insisted upon being presented to the hero of the evening. 
This presentation Bonaparte tried to elude, for in his 
youth he was always embarrassed in the presence of 
ladies, never knew how to address them, and particularly 
objected to blue stockings. Madame de Stael, who was 
as voluble as she was enthusiastic, paraded her admira- 
tion for him, and, hoping to win a compliment, inquired 
coquettishly : " General, which woman do you love and 
admire most ? " 

" My wife ! " answered Bonaparte, coolly. 

"That is a matter of course, but what kind of a 
woman would you prize most highly ? " 

" The one who could keep house best." 

" I can understand that too ; but tell me, whom would 
you consider first among women ? " 

" The one who bore the most children." 

This disconcerting answer so thoroughly quenched the 
enthusiasm of the fair writer that she withdrew, inform- 
ing her escort that Bonaparte was a strange character 
indeed. But some people claim that this repulse roused 
her antipathy, and kindled in her vindictive breast the first 
spark of the hatred with which she was to pursue Bona- 
parte as long as she lived, an^' which was to work him 
such incalculable harm. 

We are told, however, that Bonaparte received Madame 
de Stael thus coolly, principally because she had written 
him admiring letters in Italy, in which she was tactless 

32 



Josephine 



enough to pity him for being married to so insignificant 
a creature as Josephine, and wherein she hinted quite 
plainly that she — Madame de Stael — was far better 
fitted by nature to be the mate of a man of genius. 
These letters incensed and disgusted Bonaparte, who 
hotly exclaimed: "How can a blue stocking, a manu- 
facturess of sentiment, dare to compare herself to 
Josephine ! I shall not answer those letters ! " 

Although many ladies besides Madame de Stael tried 
to attract and monopolise Bonaparte's attention at 
Talleyrand's ball, he remained close to his wife the 
whole evening, seemed entirely wrapped up in his admi- 
ration of her, and ofi^ered no one else any attentions. 
On all sides, however, he received nothing but compli- 
ments and congratulations, for every one was eager to 
please him. David was commissioned to paint his pic- 
ture for the Directory, and even theatre managers 
obsequiously inquired what plays the General preferred, 
whenever he honoured them by his presence. When 
Bonaparte asked one of them whether it would be 
possible to give, in the same evening, two short plays 
which he wished to see, the manager happily remarked : 
" Nothing is impossible for General Bonaparte ; he has 
struck that word out of our dictionary." 

Josephine enjoyed her husband's glory to the full, and 
when Eugene returned from Italy, and Hortense came 
home from boarding-school fc i visit, her cup of hap- 
piness would have been quite iull, had it not been for 
the continued malevolence of her husband's relations, 
who lost no occasion to find fault with all she said and 
did. Her salon was again a social centre ; but although 
Bonaparte was a soldier, he seemed to enjoy most the 
society of literary men, gave dinners in their honour, and 
spent hours in conversation with them. Fearing lest 

VOL. I. --3 33 



Empresses of France 

the people would grow accustomed to him, and cease to 
applaud him if he became an old story, Bonaparte ap- 
peared in public very seldom, but often remarked to 
Josephine that he must do something great if he would 
maintain his exalted position in the eyes of the world. 
Still, notwithstanding this greed for popular applause, 
none knew its value better than he j for when some one 
complimented him on the ovations he was receiving, he 
once cynically remarked : " Bah ! the people would 
crowd around just as eagerly if I were being led to the 
scaffold ! " 

Bonaparte, however, soon wearied of inaction, com- 
plained that " Paris weighed upon him like a leaden 
mantle," and finding the proposed invasion of England 
impracticable, he suddenly determined to execute a long 
cherished plan, and to wage war against that country in 
Egypt. This project received the full sanction of the 
Directory, who were not aware, however, that Bonaparte 
undertook the expedition in the hope of founding an 
Eastern Empire, or, failing that, to enhance his glory, for 
he intended his coming Eastern triumphs to serve as 
stepping stones to the first position in France as soon as 
a favourable opportunity occurred. His plans were so 
cleverly made, that the public did not even suspect he 
was on the eve of departure, when, on the 3rd of May, 
1798, he and Josephine dined with Barras, and then went 
to the theatre to see Talma. On returning home at mid- 
night, Bonaparte abruptly informed Josephine that they 
would start for Toulon in a couple of hours, and, with- 
out giving her time to bid farewell to her daughter, who 
had returned to Madame Campan's boarding-school, 
hurried her into the carriage and drove away. 

This journey proved very uneventful until near the 
end, when an overhanging branch striking the carriage, 

34 



Joseph! 



ine 

brought the horses to a sudden stand-still on the very 
brink of a broken bridge, where Bonaparte and Josephine 
would have perished in the darkness, had not their 
advance been so fortunately checked. 

Bonaparte, who had taken Josephine with him to enjoy 
her company as long as possible, told her on reaching 
Toulon, on the 9th of May, that she could go no farther 
with him, but that he would send for her as soon as cir- 
cumstances would permit. He further urged, in case 
his absence were prolonged, that she should betake her- 
self to the baths of Plombieres, for the cure her physi- 
cians recommended. Their parting in the Independence 
Hotel was very affecting, Bonaparte shedding copious 
tears, and embarking only at the last moment upon the 
overladen ship. From a balcony in this hotel, Josephine 
saw the vessel raise anchor, and watched it sail out of 
sight. Two letters from Malta, robbed her of all hope 
of joining Bonaparte for the present, and it proved 
fortunate that she did not set out, for the vessel upon 
which she had planned to sail soon fell into the hands 
of the English. 

Josephine, abandoning all intention of joining her 
husband, now went on to Plombieres, in the Vosges 
Mountains, to spend three months there, taking the 
baths, and drinking the waters, which were to restore 
her impaired health, and, the physicians hoped, enable 
her in time to become a mother. There she found a 
numerous party of gay friends from Paris, for the prev- 
alent clinging fashion, which necessitated the wearing 
of but one garment under low-necked and short-sleeved 
gowns, considerably increased the rate of mortality 
among women, and was the cause of much ill-health. 

One day, when Josephine was on a wooden balcony, 
nineteen feet above ground, the flimsy structure suddenly 

35 



Empresses of France 

gave way beneath her, and she fell to the ground, half 
buried under the ruins. At first, every one thought such 
a fall must prove fatal, and Josephine begged for Hor- 
tense, vv^ho hastened to Plombieres to bid her mother 
farewell. But, by the time she reached the baths, it had 
already been ascertained that, aside from severe con- 
tusions, Josephine was quite unharmed. Treated like a 
sovereign, — a daily" bulletin being despatched to Barras, 
so he could keep her Paris friends informed of her pro- 
gress, — Josephine's convalesence proved very agreeable. 
The regimental band came daily from the neighbouring 
garrison to serenade her, sundry deputations congratulated 
her upon her narrow escape, and so many flowers, gifts, 
and attentions were showered upon her, that she found 
time pass very pleasantly until she was able to resume 
her cure and wonted amusements. 

It was while she was still at Plombieres that Josephine 
received her first letters from Egypt, and when she re- 
turned to Paris in September, she made final arrange- 
ments for the purchase of Malmaison, a pretty country 
residence about five miles from Versailles. Bonaparte, 
on leaving, had particularly enjoined upon her the acquisi- 
tion of a country place, where he could retire whenever 
he longed to rest, and where she could gratify her taste 
for nature and flowers. Josephine secured this estate 
fori 60,000 francs, Bonaparte having left her the necessary 
funds for the first payments, and immediately began re- 
modelling and furnishing the house to suit herself, adorn- 
ing it with many of the art treasures she had collected 
in Italy. 

After spending the autumn at Malmaison, Josephine 
returned to her Paris house, which Bonaparte had pur- 
chased, — in the street which now bore the name Vic- 
toire, in compliment to his achievements in Italy, — and 

36 



Josephine 



there spent a delightful winter in the midst of her friends, 
enjoying the social intercourse she loved. Her continued 
acquaintance with Madame Talliep, however, brought 
her in contact with the fastest set of the day, in a con- 
stant round of balls, dinners, and receptions. Josephine 
herself entertained every Thursday, and while possessing 
only the vaguest notions of literature, did the honours 
of her salon with such captivating courtesy, was so uni- 
formly kind, and so good a listener, that all the learned 
men of the time frequented her house. 

But her husband's relatives found fault with all this 
gaiety, and Madame Laetitia Bonaparte would fain 
have seen her graver, more dignified, and especially less 
lavish with her money. Economy, the pet virtue of Bona- 
parte's mother, formed, however, no part of Josephine's 
programme, and although jewels had been showered upon 
her in Italy, and she already possessed a notable collec- 
tion of cameos and pearls, she never could resist pur- 
chasing any gem which caught her fancy. Her dress, 
too, cost exorbitant sums ; for she went everywhere, 
and prided herself upon being always gowned to perfec- 
tion. When the Bonapartes advised her to live more 
modestly, and to avoid being seen in certain houses, she 
truthfully declared that Bonaparte depended upon her to 
watch over his real enemies, who were not in Egypt, 
but at Paris. 

Thus from the very first she worked for him with 
all the skill of a consummate diplomat, " winning 
hearts," as he so pithily said ; for she charmed all who 
met her, never offended any one, was devoted to her 
friends, easily forgave her enemies, and proved so uni- 
formly affable and obliging that every one praised her. 

For a time, the French lived in continual expectation 
of glorious tidings from the East ; but when the English 

37 



Empresses of France 

fleet cut off all communication, and month after month 
passed by without news, rumours of defeat and of Bona- 
parte's death gradually spread abroad, and those who had 
been secretly jealous of his former triumphs, began to 
belittle them. These rumours of death and disaster 
ultimately reached the Directory, and Josephine, going 
thither to inquire whether any official news had come 
from Egypt, once overheard some men remark : " Here 
comes the wife of that hypocrite, Bonaparte. If he is 
not dead to Europe, he is at least dead to France ! " 
This remark put her on her guard, and prevented her 
granting much credence to the vague reports which came 
to her ears, for she henceforth rightly suspected they had 
been started by her husband's enemies. 

Meantime, Bonaparte was in Egypt, cut off from all 
news from home, and one day when he was talking of 
Josephine to Junot, the latter ventured to inform him 
that his wife was unfaithful, strengthening this assertion 
by relating the worst gossip current concerning her life in 
Paris and Italy. Bonaparte, who had always been 
madly jealous, was beside himself with anger when he 
heard these tales, and in his rage and excitement swore 
he would exterminate his wife's admirers, vociferating : 
" As for her, divorce ! yes, divorce, public divorce in 
the face of all the world ! " Indeed, Junot could not 
calm the storm he had raised, so even the seventeen- 
year-old Eugene, who served as Bonaparte's aide-de-camp 
in this campaign, had to listen to angry denunciations of 
his mother, while the General paced back and forth in his 
tent. His friends, hoping to help him recover his self- 
control, suggested that a divorce would only serve to dim 
his own glory, but he retorted : " My glory ! Ah, what 
would I not give so that what Junot told me might not 
be true; I love that woman so dearly ! If Josephine is 

38 



Josephine 



guilty, divorce must separate me from her for ever. I 
v/on't be the laughing stock of all the Parisian fops. I 
am going to write to my brother Joseph to have the 
divorce pronounced immediately ! " 

It vv^as fortunate, however, that communications were 
so difficult, for even the letter in which Bonaparte bit- 
terly reproached Josephine for her supposed infidelity 
was a long while in reaching her. But although Bona- 
parte was wounded to the heart by Junot's disclosures, 
which — strange to relate — he believed without inves- 
tigation, he could not cease to love Josephine, and 
showed his affection for her by watching over her son as 
carefully as if the boy had been his very own, and by 
shielding him as much as possible from all danger. 

Absolutely faithful to Josephine until then, Bonaparte, 
who had forbidden all licence in his army under penalty 
of death, now seemed to consider himself freed from all 
moral restraints, and so freely indulged in immoral ex- 
cesses, that he actually scandalised his own staff, which 
was none too strait-laced. He even showed such 
marked and public attentions to Madame Foures, the 
wife of a young officer, that Eugene de Beauharnais, 
whom duty compelled to attend his general everywhere, 
finally rebelled. His indignant protest, however, merely 
recalled Bonaparte to a sense of outer decorum, for he 
did not immediately end an unsavory connection which 
caused much scandal at that time. 

Not very long after Junot's unfortunate disclosures, 
Bonaparte, who had been without news from home for 
many months, suddenly received from Sir Sydney Smith 
a bundle of French newspapers, showing that during his 
absence France had not only lost Italy, but that the enemy 
was even then crossing the Rhine, and his country was in 
imminent danger. After a night spent in devouring the 

39 



Empresses of France 

news sent by the English, Bonaparte suddenly determined 
to forsake his present unsuccessful undertaking and return 
to France, in spite of the English fleet blockading the 
Egyptian ports. 

This sudden resolve was communicated to his step- 
son in the abrupt announcement : " Eugene, you are 
going to see your mother again," and the plan thus 
briefly formulated was immediately carried out. 

Leaving Kleber at the head of the Egyptian army, 
Bonaparte secretly embarked with a few friends, and, 
cleverly dodging the English vessels, finally landed at 
Frejus, bringing the first news of the second battle of 
Aboukir. The tidings of his return, of the triumph of 
the French at Aboukir, of Massena's victory in Switzer- 
land, and of Brune's in Holland, reached Paris simul- 
taneously, so that it is no wonder if the common people 
felt as if Bonaparte's mere presence brought back France's 
(rood luck. 

o 

Josephine, who happened to be dining with one of 
the Directors and his wife, rose from table as soon 
as the news reached her, and made hasty prepara- 
tions to go and meet her returning spouse. Aware of 
the tales told by Junot and the Bonapartes, she was 
feverishly anxious to gain Bonaparte's ear first, knowing 
she could dispel his doubts and mitigate his anger, if she 
could only see him before his family completely poisoned, 
his mind against her. Indeed, she still felt so sure of his 
deep affection for her, and of her unbounded influence 
over him, that she warmly cried : " Let me but see him 
first, and he will throw himself in my arms ! " 

She therefore set out in hot haste with Hortense, tak- 
ing the direct road to Lyons, and it was only on arriving 
there, that she learned that Bonaparte had taken another 
route, thus reaching Paris only to find her gone. With 

40 



Josephine 



a heart full of disappointment and lively apprehension, 
Josephine now retraced her steps, her mind dwelling 
continually upon the scenes which had doubtless taken 
place at home during her absence. 
!" In fact, when Bonaparte reached his house on the i6th 
of October, 1799, and failed to find Josephine there, his 
anger rose to positive frenzy. His brothers, who soon 
came to welcome him, added fuel to his wrath by the tales 
they told, and worked him up to such a pitch of fury that 
when Josephine finally arrived, — three days later, — he 
utterly refused to see her. Kneeling before his closed 
door, she tearfully implored him to listen, her children 
joining their voices to hers, until he finally opened the 
door to inquire coldly and sternly what excuse she could 
offer for her black perfidy. Some authorities state that 
the estrangement lasted three days, that Josephine was 
ordered out of the house, and that this cruel command 
was rescinded only because she showed such touching 
grief and submission. However that may be, her tears 
and explanations ultimately dispelled Bonaparte's doubts, 
or at least won his forgiveness, for a complete reconcilia- 
tion took place, and when Lucien called early one morn- 
ing, he was amazed, upon entering his brother's bedroom, 
to find Josephine again sharing her husband's couch, and 
to see the couple evidently on the best of terms once 
more. 

Some historians claim that Bonaparte, although con- 
vinced of Josephine's guilt, forgave her through sheer 
infatuation ; others declare that he took her back merely 
to avoid the scandal of a divorce, which might then have 
seriously damaged his political prospects ; but most author- 
ities agree in concluding that Josephine gave a satisfac- 
tory explanation of her past to the man whom she 
cleverly helped to attain his ambitious ends. Most of the 

41 



Empresses of France 

gossip concerning her probably arose from the fact that 
she was so frequently seen in the company of the beau- 
tiful Madame Tallien, whom she had met in prison, and 
to whom she owed the preservation of her life. The 
fact that Madame Tallien and several other women of her 
acquaintance had, to express it mildly, very loose ideas 
concerning love and marriage, cast a slur upon Jose- 
phine's fair fame which has never been entirely effaced, 
although many of the accusations made against her have 
since been disproved. 

Bonaparte, however, showed that he realised the harm 
such associates must necessarily do her, for as soon as 
he had risen high enough to be able to dispense with the 
indirect assistance of these friends, — which was invalu- 
able to him at the beginning of his career, — he bade 
Josephine cease to receive them, save in the morning 
and in secret. As Bonaparte and his wife publicly ap- 
peared on the best of terms after his return from Egypt, 
all the scandalous rumours so sedulously spread by the 
Bonaparte family were effectually silenced, and Jose- 
phine's enemies had to renounce all present hope of 
ousting her from her husband's heart and home. 

The reconciliation between Bonaparte and Josephine 
came none too soon, for he sorely needed her tactful co- 
operation to carry out his ambitious schemes. From 
her he learned in detail all that had happened in the 
inner political circle during his long absence, and finding 
the time propitious for action — or the " pear ripe," as 
he graphically expressed it — he prepared to carry out 
his cherished plan of becoming head of the government, 
although he then lacked ten years of the age required for 
the Director's office. 

He began operations by parading a fear lest the Direc- 
tors should make away with him by unlawful means, and 

42 



Josephine 



at the civic banquet on the 15th of Brumaire, avoided 
touching anything save bread and water, ostentatiously 
brought and served by his own aide-de-camp. In all the 
private conferences during the fortnight preceding the 
revolution which brought about the Consulate, Josephine 
was present. While she took no active part in the 
political discussions, she was so useful in carrying out 
many of her husband's plans, that a contemporary writes : 
" She fully justified Bonaparte's restored confidence." 

His plan was to break up the Directory by forcing 
the resignation of three out of five of the Directors, and 
to prevent hostile members of the government from get- 
ting wind of this intention until it was too late. To 
secure Gohier, President of the Directory, Josephine 
wrote his wife a charming note, inviting her and her 
husband to breakfast at eight o'clock on the i8th of 
Brumaire. The hour was so unusual that it aroused 
suspicions, and Madame Gohier came alone. But 
when Bonaparte showed his displeasure at her husband's 
absence, and forced her to write to him to urge him to 
come, she, on the contrary, warned him to keep away, 
declaring she felt sure the invitation was an ambush. 
J The moment for action having come, Bonaparte, pro- 
tected by a strong escort, proceeded to the Council of the 
Five Hundred, where he haughtily called the government 
to account, saying : " What have you done with the 
France which I left so glorious ? I left peace, I find 
war. I left you victories, I find defeats. I left you the 
millions from Italy, and everywhere I find despoliating 
laws and poverty. What have you done with the hun- 
dred thousand Frenchmen whom I knew, my compan- 
ions in glory ? They are dead. This state of things 
cannot go on. Before three years were over it would 
lead us to despotism." 

43 



Empresses of France 

Then, under pretext of upholding liberty, he secured 
the persons of two of the recalcitrant Directors and — 
the three others having resigned — proceeded, with the 
help of his brothers and friends, to establish a new gov- 
ernment, the Consulate, in which he would occupy the 
highest position. Another fatiguing and eventful day 
still lay before him, for on the morrow he and his adhe- 
rents went to St. Cloud, whither the Council of the Five 
Hundred had been transported, to dismiss that assembly. 

In the meantime, Josephine, anxiously awaiting devel- 
opments at home, was pleased and touched when Bona- 
parte's mother suddenly appeared in her salon to beg for 
news. The two women fell weeping in each other's 
arms, and Josephine, who never harboured feelings of 
resentment, generously and courteously welcomed the 
woman who was then trembling for the lives of her sons. 
Napoleon, Lucien, and Joseph were all three engaged in 
this political upheaval, which was not unlike those which 
had already caused so much blood to flow in France. 
The fears of the trembling women were therefore only 
partly allayed by the brief messages which Bonaparte 
sent Josephine from time to time, and both were greatly 
relieved by the safe return of the conquering hero at 
three o'clock in the morning. 

After rapturously embracing Josephine, giving her a 
graphic sketch of the principal events of the day, during 
which his Ufe had several times been in danger, Bona- 
parte dictated an artful proclamation where might par- 
aded as right, and, after a few hours of slumber, awoke, 
as he had long dreamed, master of Paris and France. 
His last words, as he lay down to rest beside his wife 
on the 19th of Brumaire, were the exultant remark: 
" By the way, to-morrow we sleep in the Luxembourg ! " 

Bonaparte, First Consul of France, set out, the very 
44 




> 

o 

Z 



s 

ai 

W 



w 
M 
H 



Josephi 



ine 



next day, with Josephine, in a plain carriage, to take 
possession of the new abode, where he and his wife 
were to serve a two months' apprenticeship at holding 
court. During these two months, many social changes 
also took place ; the Bonapartes, abandoning republican 
customs, and Josephine being again called Madame 
instead of Citizeness. The royalists, who knew that 
Josephine was a monarchist too, and who fancied that 
Bonaparte would yet restore the King, covered his 
sword with flowers, and were frequently seen at the 
receptions at the Luxembourg, and it was partly owing 
to their countenance, that Bonaparte won so many 
adherents, and was chosen First Consul by such a large 
majority when the elections finally took place. 

At the Luxembourg, Josephine's apartments, directly 
above those of the Consul, communicated with them 
by a small private staircase. This allowed them to be 
together whenever business did not prevent, for theirs 
was the sort of marriage where the wife could truthfully 
be called a helpmate. Josephine, as charming and 
tactful as ever, received her friends every evening in the 
Luxembourg, where Bonaparte occasionally appeared in 
her salon. When he was present, he gave the signal 
for the breaking up of the party at about ten, by remark- 
ing abruptly : "Let's go to bed." But when he 
remained in his study, all visitors were dismissed by the 
brief announcement made by a servant : " Madame, 
the First Consul has gone to bed." 

In company, Bonaparte was as awkward, abrupt, and 
rude, as Josephine was graceful, smooth, and polite ; but 
when he was interested, his conversation was fascinating 
in the extreme, as all his contemporaries bear witness. 
His lack of ease, especially in the presence of women, 
probably arose from lack of home training and neglected 

45 



Empresses of France 

childhood, and Talleyrand expressed the general opinion, 
when he once remarked : " It is a great pity that so 
great a man should be so ill-bred." 

It was during his sojourn at the Luxembourg, on the 
20th of January, 1800, that Bonaparte gave his sister 
Caroline in marriage to his friend MuTat. His consent 
was, however, very reluctantly given, for he considered 
Murat, the son of an inn-keeper, far beneath his family. 
But Murat's magnificent conduct at the battle of 
Aboukir, and the fact that such an alliance would 
please the republican party, finally induced Bonaparte 
to yield to his sister's wishes. 

From the very first, Bonaparte expressed a determina- 
tion to surround the new government with all the pomp 
necessary to impress the common people ; so he soon 
decided to inhabit the Tuileries, the palace of the kings. 
This building, used by the Directors and consuls for 
business purposes, was now to become the Consular 
dwelling, and when Bonaparte visited it to give orders 
for its renovation, he pointed contemptuously at the 
liberty caps decorating its walls, and abruptly ordered 
" that rubbish " removed, and the Liberty Tree felled. 

Although it had first been decreed that all three con- 
suls should live in the Tuileries, one of them, Cam- 
baceres, expressed great reluctance to move into a palace, 
" merely to move out again," as he said. A separate 
abode was, therefore, assigned to him in a pretty mansion 
close by, a dwelling which he retained throughout the 
Consulate and Empire. The Third Consul, Lebrun, 
however, occupied the pavilion where Madame Eliza- 
beth had once lodged, and Bonaparte, being First 
Consul, appropriated the king's apartments, allotting 
to Josephine, Marie Antoinette's rooms on the ground 
floor. Josephine, who still hoped that royalty might 

46 



Josephine 



ultimately be restored in France, and who, being a 
monarchist, considered it almost desecration to occupy 
the Queen's lodgings, made timid objections, which were 
ruthlessly set aside by her autocratic husband. As for 
him, he felt no scruples of any kind, openly rejoiced at 
the coming change, and playfully awoke his wife on the 
iSth of February, 1800, with the exultant cry : "Wake 
up, little Creole, wake up ! You sleep in the house of 
your masters to-night. And we will go there with a 
flourish which will speak to the eyes and the hearts of 
the people. They like a pompous show ! " 

But while permitting his wife to see his exultation, 
Bonaparte carefully concealed it from every one else, 
seemed cold, silent, and somewhat bored, and remarked 
regretfully to his secretary, Bourrienne : " You are very 
lucky, for you have n't got to make a show of yourself. 
You can go as you please. As for me, I have to go in 
a procession ! " 

Josephine, being allowed no share in the coming 
pageant, drove off quietly to the Tuileries with her 
daughter, under the secretary's escort, and, comfortably 
seated in Lebrun's apartment, witnessed the solemn 
arrival of the three consuls in all the bravery of crimson 
coats and broad gold lace. The consuls had left the 
Luxembourg at one, in a state carriage drawn by the six 
white horses given to Bonaparte at the Treaty of Campo 
Formio. They were escorted by the government offi- 
cials in full array, and by a part of the troops, the 
remainder being drawn up in line along their passage 
and in front of the Tuileries. 

On arriving at the foot of the Grand Staircase, 
Bonaparte alighted with his companions, and, being 
the only military consul, immediately sprang upon a 
magnificently accoutred steed to review the troops, 

47 



Empresses .of France 

amid deafening acclamations of " Long live the First 
Consul ! " 

Josephine, from Lebrun's windows, witnessed this 
ovation, and the people, perceiving her, nudged each 
other, saying : " Do you see Josephine ? She has brought 
him good luck," for the soldiers all shared their General's 
belief that Josephine was his good angel, and his bright 
particular " Star." 

The military pageant over, Bonaparte ran quickly up 
the broad steps trodden by so many kings, and, entering 
the apartments of Louis XVL, which were henceforth 
to be known as his, graciously received the congratula- 
tions of his friends. But although he had now reached 
one cherished goal, he was not at all blind to the perils 
of his position, for he remarked to his secretary the very 
next day : " Getting into the Tuileries is n't everything ; 
the thing is to stay here. Who is n't there who has n't 
lived in this palace ? Thieves and members of the 
National Convention." Then, pointing out the house 
whence he had witnessed the siege of the Tuileries on 
the loth of August, 1792, he grimly vowed the people 
would have a harder time ousting him than good 
Louis XVL 

As in the Luxembourg, Bonaparte's apartments in the 
Tuileries communicated with those of Josephine by a 
private staircase, and here, too, they were often together 
and could see each other at any moment. Their recep- 
tion rooms were, however, quite separate, and the society 
they received differed in many points ; for while Bona- 
parte entertained statesmen, officers, and staunch repub- 
licans, Josephine received the old aristocracy of the 
Faubourg St. Germain, which crowded around her more 
than ever, hoping, through her, to influence Bonaparte 
to effect a Bourbon restoration. 

48 



Joseph! 



ine 

A few days after her arrival in the Tuileries, Jose- 
phine held her first official reception there for twelve 
foreign ambassadors and many other great state officials. 
While there were as yet no chamberlains, the Tui- 
leries had already many of the aspects of a court, and 
Josephine, although still addressed as Madame Bona- 
parte, now held levees just Hke a queen. At this first 
official reception, she won golden opinions by the charm- 
ing grace with which she did the honours, by her- lack 
of all assumption, and by her pleasing appearance. No 
one would have guessed that the graceful woman, clad 
in plain white muslin, with a string of pearls around her 
neck, was more than six years older than her husband, 
who seldom donned his consular costume, but preferred 
the simple uniform which was so much more becoming 
to him than any other garb. 

While Bonaparte was giving audiences to officials and 
diligently attending to business, Josephine entertained 
her friends, giving charming breakfasts to about a dozen 
ladies almost every day. But while Bonaparte encour- 
aged her to entertain as much as possible, he would no 
longer allow her to receive those among her former 
friends whose past could not bear the closest scrutiny. 
For however lax in morals himself, Bonaparte was 
very desirous that his court should contrast favourably 
with those of the kings, and be, at least outwardly, moral 
and decorous. Even Madame Tallien, who had saved 
Josephine's life, could never obtain admission to the 
Tuileries, and Josephine, forced to refuse her this favour, 
wrote to her a touching letter which proved that she 
never forgot past benefits and was not, like her husband^ 
essentially ungrateful towards most of those who had 
been kind to her when poor. 

Although the First Consul and his wife often dined 
VOL. I. — 4 49 



Empresses of France 

in private together, they gave state dinners once a week 
in the gallery of Diana, inviting about two hundred 
guests to each of these great banquets. Bonaparte, 
who ate very fast, — sometimes even using his fingers 
instead of knife or fork, with utter disregard of the most 
elementary table manners, — could seldom be induced to 
linger more than twenty minutes at table. The result 
was, that his guests, knowing they would not be 
given time to satisfy their appetites, learned in time to 
take the necessary precaution of dining at home in 
advance when invited to the Tuileries. 

Besides state dinners, balls, and receptions, Bonaparte 
gratified the popular love of display by periodical reviews, 
distributions of prizes, processions, etc. The people, in 
those days, fancied him a favourite of the gods, for he 
seemed able to control even the elements, and, " if it hap- 
pened to rain or the day was cloudy, it often came to 
pass that at the moment Bonaparte appeared, the clouds 
broke and the sun shone out." This fact greatly im- 
pressed the common people, who, therefore, cheered him 
all the more enthusiastically. 

Meantime a great reaction had taken place in fashion- 
able circles. The return of many of the emigres, the 
consequent reopening of their salons, and the renewal of 
the opera balls — closed for the past ten years — had given 
a new impetus to trade, by supplying work for all those 
who live upon the pleasures of the rich. Josephine, the 
acknowledged leader in all matters of society and fashion, 
was treated like a queen, and greeted as such wherever 
she appeared by the rising of all the ladies present. Her 
taste was exquisite, and much of her time, thought, and 
money was devoted to the all important feminine 
question " dress." 

The returning emigres, who crowded into her salon, 
50 



Josephine 



and yet were somewhat ashamed of being seen in a 
republican court, declared they showed her marked 
attentions, not only in hopes of winning favours for 
themselves and friends, but especially with a view of 
furthering the cause of their King. She was so gracious 
to them all, and so anxious that Bonaparte should recall 
the Bourbons, that the royalists were greatly encouraged, 
and Madame de Guiche was sent over to feel her way ; 
she informed Josephine that her husband's services, if 
Louis XVIII. were restored, would be recognised by 
the title of Connetable of France, and that grateful 
royalists would erect a monument on which he would be 
represented crowning his King. 

Bonaparte, who was secretly pleased to see his wife 
attract so many of the aristocrats to the Tuileries, was 
not, however, to be caught by such a bait, especially as 
he had already determined to be head of the state him- 
self. When Josephine, therefore, reported this offer to 
him, he drily remarked : " And did you tell her that this 
monument would have as pedestal the corpse of the First 
Consul ? " for he fully realised that the people did not 
then want and would not allow any Bourbon to rule 
over them. But Josephine and Hortense would not 
give up hope, and so often implored him in behalf of 
the royal dynasty that he once said to his secretary : — 

" These women belong entirely to the devil ! They 
are mad for royalty. The Faubourg St. Germain has 
turned their heads ; they are made the protecting genii of 
the royalists ; still they do not trouble me, and I am not 
displeased with them." 

When the secretary, shortly after this, ventured to 
hint to Josephine that she might interfere with her hus- 
band's policy if she gave too much encouragement to 
the royalists, she remarked : — 

51 



Empresses of France 

" r wish I could persuade him to recall the King, lest 
he himself may have the idea of becoming such ; for the 
fear that he may do this always awakens in me a fore- 
boding of evil which I cannot banish from my mind." 

It was while dreading lest her husband might wish to 
become king, that Josephine began also to be haunted 
by the fear that if he assumed the crown he would 
divorce her, to secure by a new marriage an heir to his 
throne. This dread embittered her life, off and on, for 
several years before the divorce she had foreseen actually 
took place. 

Throughout the winter and spring of 1800, Bona- 
parte was very busy legislating for his new government, 
gathering the power more and more into his own hands, 
and preparing for a new campaign in Italy. To blind 
the English and Austrians, he publicly announced that 
he was going to Dijon and perhaps to Geneva ; but Jose- 
phine was quite aware of his secret intentions when he 
left her at three o'clock in the morning on the 6th of 
May, saying : " Courage, my good Josephine ! I shall 
not forget thee, nor will my absence be long." 

With incredible speed for those times, he crossed 
France, sent armies over the Simplon and Mt. Cenis, 
and crossing the St. Bernard himself with the remain- 
der of his men, hemmed the Austrian army in between 
his own forces and the French troops stationed along the 
frontier and at Genoa. The Austrians, brought to bay 
at Marengo, where it seemed at first as if they would 
frustrate all Bonaparte's plans, finally saw the tide of bat- 
tle turn entirely against them. Bonaparte here won so 
glorious a victory, that in this one encounter he recovered 
all the ground lost in Italy during his absence, and could 
return home triumphant after a campaign which had lasted 
only forty days. 

■ 52 



Josephine 



When the people heard that he had arrived at the 
Tuileries in the night of July 3rd, they assembled be- 
neath his windows and greeted him with such deafening 
acclamations, that his heart filled with pride and he rapt- 
urously exclaimed to his secretary : " Do you hear the 
cheers of the people which have not yet ceased ? It is 
as sweet to me as the sound of Josephine's voice." 

On the 14th, when the Consular Guard returned, a 
grand fete was held at the Tuileries, Invalides, and 
Champ de Mars, and as Eugene also received a share 
of the honours awarded, this proved a doubly happy day 
for Josephine, who was present at the grand review. 
The ovation given to the First Consul on this occasion 
even surpassed the one he received on his return from 
Italy ; but although it seemed as if he must have reached 
the height of his ambition, he was not satisfied, for he 
ruefully cried : " If I were to die to-morrow, after ten 
centuries I would not fill half a page in universal 
history ! " 

Bonaparte, who had never been modest, and who de- 
lighted in flattery, however fulsome, was, however, greatly 
pleased when in answer to his question : " Well, gentle- 
men, have you done much work since I went away ? " 
the obsequious Senate promptly replied : " Not as much 
as you. General." Josephine, too, was unstinted in her 
meed of praise, and as he now felt sure of his hold upon 
her affections, and had quite ceased to be jealous, these 
were happy times for them both. Bonaparte was indul- 
gent and generous to Josephine, who on her part was so 
submissive and devoted, that the marriage was considered 
unusually harmonious, as well as a case of true love on 
both sides. 

Together, the Consul and his wife attended the gala 
performance at the Theatre Fran^ais, and when all the 

S3 



Empresses of France 

fetes were ended, set out for Malmaison, which, in the 
meantime, had been newly decorated and furnished with 
great taste. Here they passed the summer, Bonaparte 
spending several days a week in town to despatch his 
business, and Josephine always parting from him regret- 
fully, to welcome him on his return with rapture. The 
presence of Hortense, of her companions, of Bonaparte's 
pretty sisters, and of his handsome young aides-de-camp, 
made the house very lively, and Josephine and the First 
Consul merrily joined in the games and dances on the lawn. 
Bonaparte's favourite amusement was, however, " pris- 
oner's base," which he played with great enthusiasm, but 
where he was singularly awkward and unfortunate. Often 
tripping and falling when closely pursued, he was fre- 
quently captured by the enemy. But while he bore his 
own mishaps and imprisonment with great good humour, 
he could not endure to see Josephine caught, and kept 
clapping excitedly for a rescue until she was released. 

He also delighted in walking with her around her do- 
main, which was gradually enlarged, until it became a 
fine country place with extensive pleasure grounds. 
These were laid out with great taste and skill, Bonaparte 
and Josephine planting certain trees thernselves, and the 
latter taking a particular interest in her flower-beds and 
hot-houses. These were enriched by gifts from abroad ; 
for, knowing Josephine's fancy for rare plants and ani- 
mals, her friends and her husband's admirers vied with 
each other in procuring new specimens for her collec- 
tions. Josephine's gardeners also made sundry experi- 
ments under her directions, which led to great results, 
and it is said she introduced the camellia in France. 

In those days, Josephine was very near her husband 
in heart, mind, and person, watching him so closely that 
he once said : " Not one of my thoughts, not one of my 

54 



Josephine 



actions escaped Josephine ; she followed, grasped, guessed 
everything, — a fact which sometimes inconvenienced me 
in my occupations." This close communion with the 
man whom she now loved with all the depth of which 
she was capable, made Josephine very happy, as is evinced 
by a letter to her mother wherein she says : " You ought 
to love Bonaparte ; he makes your daughter very happy ; 
he is kind, amiable, in a word, a charming man." 

But although perfectly happy while Bonaparte was 
with her, Josephine was anxious and unhappy whenever 
he was away ; for she knew he had many enemies, and 
was in continual fear for his life. Besides the disap- 
pointed republicans, the royalists, who, ever since the 
last Italian campaign, had relinquished their long cher- 
ished hope of Bonaparte's restoring the power to the 
Bourbons, were now his deadly foes, and both parties 
alike plotted to kill him. 

Hearing of assassins and conspiracies, Josephine, timid 
by nature, grew very apprehensive, and therefore partic- 
ularly objected to the long drives to and from Paris. 
Her fears were not without foundation, as was fully 
demonstrated by sundry royalist attempts to murder the 
First Consul, which were checked by the watchful poUce. 
Then came the fatal explosion in December, 1800. 

It seems that the First Consul — contrary to his usual 
custom — had announced that he and his family would 
attend a grand performance of Hayden's " Creation." 
But, exhausted by the mental exertions of the day, Bona- 
parte sank into an easy-chair after dinner, and fell into 
a deep sleep, from which he was roused with difficulty 
when the moment came to set out. He, therefore, 
stumbled sleepily off to his carriage, leaving Josephine, 
Hortense, and his sister to follow with General Rapp. 

Josephine, in honour of the occasion, wore for the first 
55 



9 

Empresses of France 

time a magnificent cashmere shawl, just sent her from 
Constantinople. She was about to follow her husband, 
when Rapp suddenly remarked : " Let me make a sug- 
gestion, madame j you have not put on your shawl as 
becomingly as usuaL" 

Josephine, smiling indulgently, bade her escort kindly 
arrange the folds to suit his fancy, and patiently allowed 
him to redrape it, until Madame Murat exclaimed that 
they would be late, for she had heard her brother drive 
off. In this way, it happened that Bonaparte was slightly 
ahead of his party. As he drove through one of the 
narrow streets leading to the opera house, there was a 
sudden fearful explosion of an infernal machine placed 
there on purpose to kill him ; but, as it went off a 
second too late, his carriage remained unharmed, ^any 
people near there, however, were instantly killed, and 
others sorely wounded. But the carriage containing 
Josephine and her friends, which should have been 
directly behind the First Consul's, was fortunately too 
far away to suffer serious damage, although a splinter 
from the shattered windows slightly cut Hortense's 
cheek. 

Bonaparte, with his usual great presence of mind, 
immediately bade his coachman drive on, and on reach- 
ing the opera went right into the hall, where the per- 
formance had already begun, and where the noise of 
the explosion had been mistaken for a salvo of artillery. 
But, although apparently unmoved, the First Consul was 
very anxious about his wife, for he hastily despatched an 
aide-de-camp to see if she were safe. This man reached 
the scene of the accident just in time to assure the faint- 
ing Josephine of her husband's safety, and then hurried 
her on to the opera, where Rapp appeared first at the 
door of the consular box. Bonaparte, seeing him, 

56 



Josephine 

breathlessly whispered : " Josephine," but at the same 
moment his anxious glance rested upon his wife, who, 
although pale and trembling, was quite unharmed. 

The audience, learning a few moments later of the 
First Consul's narrow escape, stopped the performance 
to give him an enthusiastic ovation. Deafening cheers 
also accompanied Bonaparte all the way home, where 
the principal officials were awaiting his arrival to present 
their congratulations. This impromptu reception over, 
Josephine, still pale and trembling, cast herself into her 
husband's arms, tearfully crying : " What a life when 
I must be ever trembling for you ! " 

Seeing her tears, Bonaparte gave full vent to his wrath 
at the negligence of the police, which had entailed the 
death of many persons. But while he breathed anger and 
revenge, Josephine secretly wrote to the chief-of-police, 
begging him to seize and punish only the instigators of the 
crime, and to permit all their tools and accomplices to 
escape unmolested. She also visited the wounded to 
see that her orders concerning them were faithfully car- 
ried out, and that they had every care, for she was ever 
gentle, compassionate, and very kind to the poor. 

This conspiracy served to consolidate the very power 
the royalists sought to destroy, and again raised the 
question which so sorely troubled Josephine, — namely, 
who would succeed the man who had rendered such brill- 
iant services to his country, since he had no child ? 

Early in 1801, Bonaparte signed the treaty of Lune- 
ville, which left France with no real foe save England, 
and which proved the beginning of four years of 
peace for France. After this treaty, many of the still 
absent emigres returned, old customs crept in once more, 
and the Republican day of rest, occurring every ten days, 
again made way for the time-honoured Sunday. During 

57 



Empresses of France 

that same year Bonaparte's birthday was officially cele- 
brated for the first time by the French nation, on 
August 15th, and in memory of the recently estab- 
lished peace, the bloody Place de la Revolution was offi- 
cially transformed into the Place de la Concorde, by 
which name it is still known to-day. Bonaparte, who 
subsequently declared : " I really thought that the fate 
of France, of Europe, and my own were settled, and 
that there would be no more wars," now devoted all 
his energies to matters of government and education, 
completing, with the help of learned French jurists, the 
famous Code which still bears his name. 

Meanwhile, Josephine was in her element, for the 
many entertainments given, were so many excuses for 
the purchase of the new gowns and jewels in which her 
heart delighted. But, while she spent enormous sums 
for her toilet, she was also generous to a fault, and 
supported many needy aristocrats. She also often inter-^ 
ceded in their behalf with the First Consul, who, at her 
request, restored the confiscated property to the widow 
of the Duke of Orleans, and to many others. Noted 
foreigners again came to Paris as of old, and Josephine 
felt particularly flattered by a visit from the Infant of 
Parma, who solemnly paid his respects to her, although, 
seven years before, his aunt, Marie Antoinette, had been 
beheaded on the square which he could see from the 
palace windows. He was not her only royal guest, how- 
ever, for the visit of the King and Queen of Etruria 
soon followed, in whose honour there were many 
festivities. 

That winter, Madame de Stael intrigued incessantly 
to obtain admission to the Tuileries, where she still 
hoped to win the favour of the First Consul, and obtain 
through him the repayment of the million francs which 

58 



Josephine 



her father had loaned the King. This claim, however, 
was rejected on the plea that the Republic paid no debts 
contracted by the King. This refusal, together with Bona- 
parte's failure to meet Madame de Stael's advances or 
appreciate her talents, so enraged the vindictive woman, 
that she became his inveterate foe, and spoke so freely 
against him that he finally exiled her. 

The summer months, spent at Malmaison in the usual 
way, were particularly happy for Josephine, because in 
July, 1 80 1, the First Consul made a Concordat, or treaty, 
with Pope Pius VIL, whereby the Roman Catholic religion 
was to be officially restored in France the next summer. 
The amusements at Malmaison now included, besides 
the usual dances and games, amateur theatricals, in 
which Hortense and Bonaparte's secretary proved the 
best actors. A small theatre was built for these per- 
formances, in which Bonaparte and Josephine took the 
liveliest interest, although neither of them formed part 
of the amateur troop, which consisted mainly of the 
younger members of the Consular household. 

But, in spite of all these causes for happiness, Josephine 
still mourned the fact that she had no child by her 
second husband, and, hoping to conciliate the Bonaparte 
family, still inimical to her in spite of her uniform kind- 
ness, she began to plan a marriage between her daughter, 
Hortense and Bonaparte's favourite brother, Louis. She 
fancied that such an alliance would not only silence for 
ever the slanderous tongues of some of Bonaparte's de- 
tractors, who accused him of improper intimacy with 
his step-daughter, but that her husband would take such 
an interest in the offspring of Hortense and Louis — 
whom he treated like his children — that he would in 
time entirely forget he had no son of his own. 

Josephine, therefore, regardless of the fact that both 
59 



Empresses of France 

parties had other attachments, and that they had no 
tastes in common, persuaded Bonaparte that this alliance 
was most desirable, and thus ultimately brought about a 
marriage which was to blast two young hves, and cause 
her, too, bitter sorrow. The young people, seeing no 
hopes of being united to those they loved, listlessly con- 
sented, and after a civil marriage at the Tuileries, re- 
ceived the nuptial benediction in their future home, rue 
Victoire. Bonaparte insisted that Murat and Caroline 
— who had been obliged to forego a religious ceremony 
when married at the Luxembourg — should now receive 
a blessing too; but when Josephine begged that she 
might share it also, he peremptorily refused. That may 
have been, as some people claim, because he deemed it 
impolitic to let the public know that his marriage had 
hitherto lacked religious sanction, or he may have already 
foreseen his divorce, and have realised that merely legal 
bonds would be more easily broken than those imposed 
by the Church. 

Hortense's marriage over, Bonaparte and Josephine 
journeyed to Lyons, where a grand ovation awaited 
them, and on their return attended the housewarming 
ball of the Governor of Paris, Junot, Duke of Abrantes. 
While Bonaparte showed his interest by inspecting the 
house from garret to cellar, Josephine, clad in silver- 
striped robes, and crowned with dark-hued grapes, won 
golden opinions as usual for her graceful tact. She also- 
rejoiced in the sensation she created; for she was so 
tastefully arrayed, and had so cleverly managed to dis- 
guise the ravages of time, that she appeared little older 
than her daughter, although the latter was a bride and 
barely twenty. 

The Consular court removed to Malmaison very early 
that spring, and it was there that Josephine one morning 

60 



Josephine 



received a shabby petitioner, who claimed to have taught 
the First Consul to write at Brienne. Bonaparte, who 
was present, and who often made fun of his almost 
illegible caligraphy, now abruptly exclaimed : " And a 
fine penman you made of me. Just ask my wife ! " 

But Josephine, seeing the poor man embarrassed by 
this unexpected sally, merely smiled and said : " I assure 
you, sir, that his letters are perfectly charming." The 
kindly tact which thus set the poor man at ease, and the 
graceful compliment to which he was far from insensible, 
so charmed Bonaparte, that he granted the old man a 
pension for life. 

It was thus that Josephine was ever ready to give a 
happy turn to her husband's remarks, and her graceful tact 
often won for him friends whom his total lack of amenity 
would otherwise have repelled. But whereas Josephine 
was ready to help Bonaparte, she also dreaded his ambi- 
tion, and although she had ceased to plead with him not 
to become king, she truthfully declared : " To be the 
wife of the First Consul fulfils my highest ambition ; let 
me remain so." 

It was as First Consul that Bonaparte effected the 
peace of Amiens in 1802, and when Fox afterwards 
came to Paris, he was duly invited to Malmaison. 
There, Josephine did the honours so acceptably, that she 
completely bewitched the English statesman, who, learn- 
ing of her love for flowers, thereafter sent her many rare 
specimens, in spite of the fact that war soon broke out 
again between the rival countries. 

The Senate, wishing to reward Bonaparte for con- 
cluding peace with England, now suggested that he 
should be Consul for life, having power to choose his 
own successor. Josephine viewed these new honours, 
with terror, and also reluctantly saw him accept St. 

61 



Empresses of France 

Cloud as a country residence. She loved Malmaison 
best of all her dwellings, for friends could be received 
there informally, and she clearly perceived that her 
husband's real enemies were the men who flattered 
him, filling his head with ideas of divorce and re- 
marriage for the sake of founding a new dynasty. Be- 
sides, new dignities entailed new duties, and Josephine, 
who had hitherto entertained like any other lady, 
soon after found herself at the head of a semi-regal 
'' household," where four ladies helped her receive her 
guests. 

While waiting for the elections to confirm her hus- 
band's new title, Josephine journeyed to Plombieres for 
her health, leaving Hortense to preside over the estab- 
lishment at Malmaison. The letters which Bonaparte 
wrote to Josephine during this separation, offer a strange 
contrast to those written in Italy, although he still 
showed a gratifying interest in all that concerned her, 
assuring her that her return would " give great pleasure 
to her friend, who was lonely without her." 

But, although he claimed to be lonely, he managed to 
amuse himself during her absence by paying rather awk- 
ward attentions to young Madame d'Abrantes, among 
others. One of his eccentric performances was to enter 
her bedroom every morning at five, seat himself by her 
bedside, beguile an hour in conversation or reading de- 
spatches, and then leave her after playfully pinching her 
feet through the blankets. Remonstrances and locked 
doors proving equally unavailing against Bonaparte's pass- 
key and compromising attentions, Madame d'Abrantes 
boldly resorted to stratagem. She induced her husband 
to disobey orders and spend the night with her at Mal- 
maison, instead of returning to Paris as usual. On 
entering the room early the next morning, Bonaparte 

62 



Josephine 



was nonplussed to find Junot, and to hear his amazed : 
" Goodness, General, what are you doing in our wives' 
rooms so early in the morning ? " 

After muttering a few unintelligible words about 
waking guests betimes for the hunt, Bonaparte suddenly 
turned the tables upon Junot, by sternly demanding how 
he dared thus desert his post ? But as he immediately 
added that his old comrade was forgiven, and must 
remain to share the day's amusements, the warm-hearted 
young fellow forgot everything except his General's kind 
oversight of a breach of discipline. Madame d'Abrantes, 
however, was not so easily gulled, for she contrived, 
henceforth, never to spend a night at Malmaison without 
the protection of her husband's presence. 

As we have already seen, Bonaparte had concluded 
a treaty with the Pope, whereby he agreed to restore 
the Catholic religion in France. On the day appointed 
for the execution of this " Concordat," Bonaparte went 
in state to Notre Dame, where a solemn Mass was cele- 
brated in the presence of all the officials. Although the 
First Consul never pretended to be devout, he gave so 
edifying an example of decorum on this occasion that no 
lack of reverence was ever after shown in church by 
even the greatest unbeliever. Josephine, who delighted in 
all the outward practices of religion, without being really 
devout, was too happy for words as she sat up in the 
rood-loft, surrounded by a bevy of ladies, all vying in 
the freshness and elegance of their gowns. Although 
most of her attendants were noted for their youth and 
beauty, Josephine was so tastefully arrayed for this 
ceremony, that she appeared to advantage among them, 
and at a distance, no one would have dreamed that she 
could be more than twenty-five years of age. 

One month after this imposing ceremony at Notre 



Empresses of France 

Dame, Bonaparte's birthday was again celebrated with 
great pomp, a blazing star shining above Notre Dame 
during the grand illumination, as a delicate compliment 
to his superstitious belief in such an orb. The cele- 
brations extended all over the country, and the Parisians 
went out to St. Cloud in throngs, to behold the superb 
play of the waters in the park fountains. 

Toward the end of October, 1802, Josephine and 
her husband left Paris to visit the public buildings, hos- 
pitals, and manufactories in the western provinces, and 
give a new impetus to trade by showing a lively interest 
in the various industries. Josephine ably seconded the 
Consul in this laudable purpose, and was delighted to 
receive choice samples of the workmen's skill, which 
she acknowledged so gracefully that she invariably 
charmed the donors. 

Although Bonaparte was almost adored in France at 
that time, he was virulently hated in England, where, 
knowing that he was lacking in truth and moral prin- 
ciples, he was openly charged with heinous crimes of 
which he was innocent. The English thus started one 
slander, which although unfounded, blasted the life of poor 
Hortense, and caused Josephine many a tear. Accord- 
ing to this vile report, the First Consul was improperly 
intimate with his step-daughter, and had married her 
to his brother merely so as to adopt his own child, which 
was said to have come into the world shortly after the 
wedding. To refute this rumour, which was entirely 
false, and which, fortunately, had not yet reached Hor- 
tense's ears. Napoleon insisted upon her dancing at a 
large ball, where her appearance bore ample witness to 
her condition. Besides, the newspapers commented upon 
it ; and about ten months after her marriage, announced 
the birth of her first child, who was named Napo- 

64 



\ 



Josephi 



ine 

leon Charles, after his illustrious uncle and his paternal 
grandfather. 

When Josephine finally informed her daughter of the 
slanderous rumours connected with her name, Hortense 
fainted with horror, and being already very unhappy 
with an uncongenial husband, sank into a state of de- 
spondency which she never entirely shook off. But 
while Josephine and her daughter were cut to the heart 
by this base calumny, Napoleon, strange to relate, felt 
rather flattered by it, telling Josephine that it was only 
another proof of the general desire that he should be 
succeeded by a son who would inherit his talents as well 
as his name and fame. 

Josephine, who no longer cherished any hope of off- 
spring from her second marriage, now began to hope 
that her grandson might some day rule over France, for 
Napoleon, who was very fond of children, showed great 
interest in his little nephew, dandling him with unusual 
skill, playing with him as soon as he was old enough to 
take notice, watching over every phase of his develop- 
ment, and rapturously declaring that his brother's son 
resembled him most in character and appearance. Jose- 
phine, however, equally delighted with her first grand- 
child, fondly averred that the boy was the exact image of 
his mother at the same age, and tried to have him with 
her as much as possible. 

The winter of 1 802—3, which saw Josephine's 
new interest in her grandchild, was busy and happy too. 
To encourage commerce. Napoleon bade his wife en- 
tertain as much as possible, thus setting an example to 
all those whose means permitted display. Josephine, 
who delighted in dress as much as ever, although her 
charms were somewhat dimmed, was only too glad of 
any pretext for devising new costumes, upon which she 
VOL. I. — 5 65 . 



Empresses of France 

spent much time, and no less than a million francs per 
year. Her budget of expenses, which is not without in- 
terest, included in one year three thousand francs' worth 
of rouge. She paid her hairdresser a salary of six 
thousand francs, and ordered in one year two hundred 
white muslin dresses, costing from five hundred to two 
thousand francs apiece, five hundred and fifty-eight 
pairs of white silk stockings, five hundred and twenty 
pairs of dainty shoes, five hundred lace-trirtimed chemises 
at three hundred francs each, two hundred and fifty-two 
hats, and, after shawls came into fashion, no less than 
sixty, which cost from eight to ten thousand francs 
apiece. Strange to relate, however, her wardrobe in- 
cluded but two flannel petticoats, and two pairs of tights 
for riding. Warmth was supplied by cloth or velvet 
gowns, which, as they were low-necked and short- 
sleeved, were often supplemented by redingotes lined 
with fur or silk. The fit of gowns in her day precluded 
the use of many underclothes, and, aside from a chemise 
and corset, Josephine wore nothing but a slip, even when 
her upper garment was one of her favourite white muslins. 
The shoes and slippers, made to match her gowns, were 
for ornament more than use, for it is said that when she 
once showed her shoemaker some footgear which re- 
vealed holes after one day's wear, he gravely examined 
them, and justified himself by exclaiming : " Ah ! I see 
what it is. Madame must have walked in them ! " 
Josephine also delighted in dainty wrappers, nightgowns, 
and caps, and her husband once declared that her night 
toilet was as elegant as that used by day, and that she 
was graceful even in bed. 

But while Josephine was extravagant in her tastes, 
and could never refuse to purchase any article of 
jewelry or dress which happened to strike her fancy, 

. 66 



Josephine 



she also gave lavishly to all who asked, or to 
whom she thought a gift might afford gratification. 
The result of this extravagance and generosity was a 
continual state of indebtedness, and although her allow- 
ance was large, her husband was frequently obliged to 
supplement it by paying her bills. Whenever, there- 
fore, he saw her with reddened eyes, or embarrassed de- 
meanour, refusing to confess the cause of her grief, he 
suspected financial difficulties, and, after storming and 
scolding awhile, paid her debts, and, touched by her tears, 
always ended by saying : " Come, Josephine, come, my 
darling, don't weep, be comforted." 

As no one could surpass Josephine in taste in dress, 
she generally managed to please her husband's fastidious 
eye 5 but she so accustomed him to the use of cosmetics, 
that he deemed them an indispensable adjunct to a lady's 
toilet, and bluntly informed the ladies who appeared at 
the Tuileries, St. Cloud, or Malmaison with unpainted 
faces: "You have Jbrgotten your rouge!" Many of 
his biographers declare that he never addressed " a gra- 
cious or even a polite phrase to a woman," a lack of 
social amenity due to his lack of good breeding, to a 
species of timidity which he never acknowledged, and 
especially to his vanity, for he had long ago determined 
that no woman should ever have any influence at his 
court. 

In speaking to ladies. Napoleon not only criticised 
their looks and apparel in the bluntest way, but was in 
the habit of asking delicate questions concerning the 
number and care of their children, speaking so loud that 
every one could hear, and using terms unsuited to ears 
polite. It therefore often required all Josephine's tact 
to smooth down the feathers he had ruthlessly ruffled, 
for ladies were often seen, even after the briefest con- 

67 



Empresses of France 

versation with Napoleon, on the verge of an outbreak 
of hysterical tears. Still, such was the fascination this 
popular hero exercised, that most women courted his 
attention, and a few strove to win his favour and occupy 
the position of court favourite. But Napoleon fully 
realised that times had so changed that open immorality 
would only damage his prospects, and although he had 
not sufficient principle to refrain from sin, he made an 
effort to preserve outward decorum. 

Since his marriage. Napoleon had changed from a 
poor, puny, homely, and comparatively unknown officer, 
to an apparently healthful and undeniably handsome 
man of unequalled fame and fortune. But whereas, in 
1796, he was desperately in love with his wife, who 
then seemed his superior in fortune, rank, and beauty, 
her attractions had so greatly paled that his passion had 
waned, while her affection increased to such an extent 
that she now used every device to retain her hold upon 
him. Her conduct, once questionable, was now above 
reproach, and the Bonapartes, who still dreaded her 
influence, and feared lest she might yet induce her 
husband to adopt Eugene de Beauharnais as his suc- 
cessor, openly regretted that they could find no fault 
with her save the barrenness for which she could not 
be blamed. 

Napoleon, entirely forgetting the pangs he had suf- 
fered from jealousy, now inflicted all its tortures upon 
poor Josephine ; for while he carefully concealed his 
delinquencies from the public, he often confided them 
to his wife. Although generally good-tempered and 
kind, he was cruel in the extreme when under the spell 
of one of his brief passions, and, when she remonstrated, 
brutally declared : " You must submit to anything I 
please, and consider it a matter of course that I should 

68 



Josephine 



allow myself such indulgences. I have the right to 
object to all your complaints by an everlasting I. I 
am a being apart, and the laws of morality and propriety 
do not concern me." 

Such fallacious reasoning gives the measure of the 
moral man. But when these passing fancies were over, 
he invariably came back to Josephine, expecting full 
forgiveness, and required at all times the most unbounded 
devotion on her part. Josephine, ever ready to drop' 
everything to please him, often read aloud to him for 
hours, because he preferred her voice to any other. 
Owing to his habit of rapid eating, — he seldom spent 
more than fifteen minutes at table, — and perchance to 
the first stages of the stomach-cancer from which he 
died. Napoleon was subject to violent spasms of indi- 
gestion, often followed by nausea. In such attacks he 
threw himself on the floor, writhed and groaned extrava- 
gantly, — not having learned as yet to bear pain with 
fortitude, — and called for Josephine, who had to pet 
and nurse him like a baby. It was these spasms of 
indigestion, or rather his lack of self-control when a 
prey to them, that gave rise to the false rumour that 
Napoleon was subject to epileptic fits. When ill, or 
idle, Josephine was his favourite companion ; for although 
she was not the intellectual paragon her enthusiastic 
admirers describe, she was eminently sympathetic, and 
rarely combated her husband's views. In spite of her 
naturally shallow and frivolous disposition, she was so 
receptive, and had met so many interesting people who 
talked freely to her, that she was quite well informed. 
Besides she was blessed with an innate fund of common- 
sense, which prevented her being blinded by the exalted 
position which she attained. 

The claims of dress and society, however, left her 
69 



Empresses of France 

little time for the cultivation of her mind, and aside 
from what she read to her husband, Josephine seldom 
opened a book. When she did, it was some novel 
borrowed from her attendants and read surreptitiously ; 
for she knew Napoleon abominated fiction and ruthlessly 
cast it into the fire whenever he saw it. Thus, almost 
deprived of the only kind of literature she might have 
enjoyed, Josephine had recourse to the gossip of the 
day, which was diligently poured into her ears, and 
which she privately retailed to Napoleon, who used her 
— as well as others — as a species of social detective. 
The information thus obtained, he maliciously used as 
a kind of mental thumbscrew, gloating over the helpless 
wrath of the victims when they found their most cher- 
ished secrets known to Napoleon. They were all the 
more dismayed because he generally used information 
of an unsavoury character as a means of torment, and 
they well knew that while he claimed plenty of latitude 
and deemed himself above all moral laws, he would 
tolerate no open scandal at his court, nor receive people 
whose reputation was tainted. In fact, the etiquette 
around him and his wife daily grew more rigid, and 
after the formal restoration of religion, the First Consul 
required all his household to attend daily Mass in the 
castle chapel. 

Even when untrue to his wife. Napoleon carefully 
treated her with every mark of respect in public, dining 
and driving with her daily. But these drives were not 
always enjoyable, for he was often cross or wilful, and 
once insisted upon driving, in spite of his notorious lack 
of skill with horses, until there was a runaway, and he 
and Josephine were nearly killed. 

Although Napoleon and Josephine had separate apart- 
ments at the Tuileries and at St. Cloud, they generally 

70 



Joseph! 



ine 



slept in the same room, for Josephine had persuaded her 
husband that he was safest in her company, because she 
slept so lightly that she would be sure to hear and warn 
him of any nocturnal attempt against his life. In spite 
of this vaunted wakefulness, however, Josephine slept 
so soundly the first night at St. Cloud, that she was 
amazed to discover on the morrow that her new draw- 
ing-room had caught fire during the night, and that 
the conflagration had been discovered and extinguished 
without her knowledge. 

When not too busy. Napoleon often strolled into his 
wife's room during the day, and when she was dressing, 
he tumbled over her things, ruthlessly destroyed any 
article of apparel which did not suit his fancy, inquired 
into prices of materials, pulled her hair, playfully slapped 
and pinched her bare arms and shoulders, and behaved, 
in short, more like a teasing boy than like the chief of a 
great nation. Josephine generally bore these visits with 
her usual gentle nonchalance, but when he hurt her 
too badly with his rough caresses, she would drawl 
impatiently : " Stop, Bonaparte, do stop ! " 

He was in her dressing-room, presiding over her 
toilet, while he lay on the floor playing with Hortense's 
baby, when the diplomatic corps came to see him on the 
14th of March, 1803. Rising leisurely, he went into 
the great hall to receive the dignitaries. Although he 
had been in the sunniest mood a few moments before, 
he now suddenly stepped up to the British ambassador, 
and so rudely denounced England's failure to execute 
the treaty of Amiens, that, as he intended, war soon 
ensued. The declaration was no sooner made than he 
determined to inspect the armament at Antwerp, and 
deeming it advisable to produce a favourable impression 
wherever he went, bade Josephine prepare to accompany 

71 



Empresses of France 

him with all her household, and take part in the semi- 
regal progress he planned. Not only were new dresses 
and jewels purchased for this occasion, but Napoleon 
procured from the Senate the crown jewels, which had 
last been worn by Marie Antoinette, and had never 
decked any save queens of France. 

The Consular party left St. Cloud on the 24th of 
June, 1803, and two days later reached Amiens, where, 
as Napoleon had foreseen, the priests had influenced the 
people to receive them like the kings of old, even offer- 
ing them the traditional gift of four white swans, which 
were sent to grace the Tuileries basin. From Amiens, 
Napoleon and Josephine proceeded to Boulogne, Dun- 
kirk, and Lille, where throngs of people awaited their 
coming, and where so many balls and receptions were 
held in their honour, that Josephine wrote to her 
daughter that all her time was spent " receiving com- 
pliments." This was, however, only a beginning; for 
they passed on into Belgium, — then a part of France, — 
and were received with lively demonstrations of joy at 
Ostende, Bruges, and Ghent. In the latter city the 
Prefect of the Department made the following flowery 
address to Josephine, which is only a sample of the 
adulation which was offered to her at every stage in this 
memorable journey : " You — whose tender affection is 
to the First Consul's happiness what the admiration of 
his century is to his glory — deign to accept our hom- 
age. We well know here, madame, what a power you 
wield over all hearts by your benevolence. When ac- 
companied by irresistible charm, by all the graces of 
mind and talent, this virtue is all powerful. Therefore, 
madame, deign to believe that all here are subject to 
your will." 

In fact. Napoleon and Josephine were welcomed 
72 



Josephine 



everywhere as if they were divinities, and, as they de- 
voutly attended Mass as often as possible, they won 
golden opinions from all the clergy, who, anxious to 
show their gratitude to the First Consul for restoring 
their worship, taught the people to love and honour him 
and his wife. But poor Josephine received an uninten- 
tional stab at their hands at MechUn, where the arch- 
bishop, in his welcoming address, mentioned " the 
sacred bond " uniting her and her husband, which 
unfortunately did not exist, and whose omission she 
regretted more and more as time went on. Notwith- 
standing her secret mortification, she acknowledged his 
compliments in her usual graceful way, playing her part 
as well as any of the queens who had preceded her. 

Josephine received, however, the greatest and most 
pleasing ovation at Brussels, where the people, knowing 
her love for flowers, showered choice blossoms down 
upon her as she slowly entered the city in the new car- 
riage they had just given her. MiHtary pageants, tri- 
umphal arches, illuminations, balls, and receptions formed 
only a part of the festivities in her honour, and on Sun- 
day she was solemnly escorted to St. Gudule's, where 
she sat in the gallery, while her husband monopolised 
the official honours preceding the grand midday Mass. 

Thus eighty towns were visited in forty-eight days, 
the Consular party returning to St. Cloud in time for 
the ofiicial celebration of Napoleon's birthday, which 
was kept as usual. Napoleon's court was very brilliant 
in those days, and his sisters were often seen there. 
One of these, Pauline, lost her husband in the West 
Indies, but the brief court mourning was scarcely over, 
when her re-marriage became imminent, for she made 
a conquest of the Italian Prince Borghese, and thus 
had the satisfaction of being the first in her family 

73 



Empresses of France 

to bear the title of princess. Her first appearance at 
court in her new role was in November, and the 
ladies, not wishing to be eclipsed by the new prin- 
cess, all donned their most becoming gowns. Jose- 
phine, however, had put on a simple white robe which 
made her appear so young and charming that Napoleon 
exclaimed : " Ah ! Josephine, I shall be jealous ; you 
are planning mischief. Why are you so beautiful 
to-day ? " 

Delighted with the compliment which vividly recalled 
the happy time when he had eyes for her alone, Jose- 
phine answered : " I know that you like to see me in 
white, and so I put on a white gown. That is all." 

"Well, if you did it to please me, you have succeeded," 
answered Napoleon, gallantly kissing her round shoulder, 
despite the spectators present, and leading her to the 
mirror so she could see how well she looked. This 
simple toilet equally pleased the new princess, who ap- 
peared in a green velvet gown fairly covered with the 
famous Borghese jewels; but her stay in the Tuileries 
was nevertheless very short, for when she discovered 
that her dress was not in harmony with the blue furni- 
ture in the room, she refused to sit down, even for a 
moment, and soon took her leave. 

Pauline, like the rest of the Bonapartes, disliked 
Josephine, who, despite their rudeness, was always kind, 
and often interceded in their behalf when their brother 
was displeased with their conduct, which was often open 
to censure. But Josephine was kind to every one, and 
was never weary of trying to conciliate everybody. Her 
utmost efforts, however, failed not only where the 
Bonapartes were concerned, but also with the Moreaus. 

General Moreau had helped Bonaparte to become 
First Consul, expecting to secure that title in his turn ; 

74 



Joseph 



me 



but his hopes were blasted when the people named Bona- 
parte Consul for life, with the privilege of appointing 
his successor. Urged on by his wife, who envied Jose- 
phine's exalted position, Moreau then joined a conspiracy 
formed by Pichegru, Cadoudal, Polignac and others, to 
effect a counter-revolution, and restore royalty in France. 
Thanks to Napoleon's police system, this plot was dis- 
covered in time ; but while Pichegru and Cadoudal were 
executed, Moreau was banished to America, whence he 
returned only to bear arms against his former comrade 
in the battle of Leipzig, where he was killed. Realising 
that Moreau had been induced to conspire by an envious 
wife. Napoleon bore a flattering testimony to Josephine, 
when he cried : " Not every man has as good a wife 
as I ! " He was right, Josephine was good, and she 
proved it by pleading for Polignac's pardon, which was 
finally granted, to the great relief of the royalist party. 

The plot, however, had further fatal consequences ; 
for it so roused Napoleon's suspicions and anger, that he 
determined to end all future attempts of a similar nature 
by seizing and executing the Duke of Enghien, a mem- 
ber of the royal family, who was then in Germany. A 
troop of dragoons, therefore, crossed the frontier one 
night, seized the unsuspecting Duke in bed, and con- 
veyed him to Vincennes. Tried there by a special jury, 
he was executed immediately, although he protested to 
the last that he had no designs against the First Consul's 
life, and begged to be allowed to see him. 

Josephine, who often guessed her husband's thoughts, 
discovered this plan, and vainly tried to induce him to 
give up all thought of arresting the Duke, because she 
rightly felt that such a deed of treachery would smirch 
his fame for ever. On the way to Malmaison, on Sun- 
day afternoon, she told Madame de Remusat that the 

75 



Empresses of France 

Consul intended to arrest the Duke, and when this court 
lady saw Napoleon plant a cypress on the morrow, she 
thought the tree singularly appropriate to the time. The 
news of the Duke's capture and arrival at Vincennes 
made Madame de Remusat turn so pale that Napoleon 
abruptly asked her why she did not use rouge, and when 
she indifferently answered that she had forgotten to bring 
any, he laughingly declared that Josephine would never 
be guilty of such an oversight, and gave vent to the 
strange aphorism ; *■'■ Two things are eminently becoming 
to a woman, rouge and tears." 

Josephine, as we have seen, had thoroughly accustomed 
him to rouge, and now, in her distress lest he might carry 
out his purpose and kill the Duke, fell down on her 
knees before him and tried the power of tears. But 
Napoleon would not heed her, and, roughly pushing her 
away, reiterated fiercely : " Mind your own business. 
This is none of woman's business ! " 

But although he could thus silence the wife who feared 
nothing so much as his displeasure, he could not check 
her tears, which flowed more freely than ever when a 
messenger brought her the Duke's last letter, and a token 
which he could trust no one else to deliver so safely to 
the lady he loved. 

Although some authorities claim that Napoleon's sub- 
ordinates were over-hasty, and that the Duke's life would 
have been spared had the First Consul's orders been 
rightly executed. Napoleon himself justifies the deed in 
his will. But he was very gloomy in those days at 
Malmaison, and after a dinner where Josephine wept 
incessantly, and where no one uttered a word, he cal- 
lously dismissed the whole subject, saying : " At least, 
they will see we are not to be trifled with, and I hope 
they will henceforth leave us alone ! " 

76 



Josephine 



Under such circumstances, the sojourn at Malmaison 
proved anything but enjoyable ; but Josephine greatly 
dreaded the return to Paris, and constantly wondered 
how the news would be received by the country at large, 
since even Napoleon's flatterers seemed struck dumb. 
This thought secretly troubled Napoleon also ; but, strange 
to relate, the execution caused so little sensation at the 
time, that Talleyrand, who later condemned the deed, 
and professed the utmost devotion to the royal family, 
gave a brilliant ball three days after the tragic event. 
Many aristocrats were present at this entertainment, but 
the Consular party remained quietly at Malmaison until 
the next Sunday, when they attended Mass in the Tui- 
leries as usual, but Napoleon gave no sign of feeling, 
although closely watched. 

His inward trepidation was perceptible, however, at 
his next public appearance at the opera, for, contrary to 
his usual custom, he waited for Josephine before show- 
ing himself in the front part of his box, and when he 
did step forward with her, it was with as set a face as if 
about to storm an enemy's battery. Josephine, ghastly 
pale beneath her rouge, trembled visibly, but instead of 
the hisses both fully expected, they were greeted with 
such enthusiastic applause that they felt deeply relieved. 
About a week later, that Senate proposed that Napoleon 
should assume the crown ; and when he and his household 
removed to St. Cloud for the rest of the summer, it was 
to prepare for the new parts they were soon to play as 
Emperor and Empress, such a title being deemed best 
fitted to rulers who owed their elevation to the army. 

The days of preparation at St. Cloud were fraught 
with excitement and heartburnings, for all the courtiers 
were anxious for titles, places, and emoluments, and 
Napoleon had no small task to satisfy even the members 

77 



Empresses of France 

of his own family. Lucien and Jerome, having con- 
tracted marriages which he considered beneath the family 
dignity, and obstinately refusing to give up their wives, 
were simply disowned, although Josephine interceded 
warmly in behalf of the brothers-in-law who had treated 
her so badly. In fact, she begged so hard that, although 
Napoleon would not yield, he kissed her, exclaiming: 
" You are a good woman to plead for them ! " Then, 
full of his grievance, he added : " It is hard to find in 
one's own family such resistance to high interests. I 
shall henceforth have to stand alone and depend on my- 
self only. Well, I can get along without them, and 
Josephine will comfort me for all the rest ! " 

After this quarrel, Lucien went off to Italy with his 
mother, who sided with him in this affair. Lacking 
children of his own, yet anxious to settle the important 
question of succession. Napoleon now proposed to adopt 
the son of Louis and Hortense ; but this raised a storm 
of opposition in his family, and even Louis declared he 
would never consent, either because he still resented 
the rumour which ascribed this child to Napoleon, and 
feared to confirm it by consenting, or because he would 
not relinquish all hopes of wearing the crown himself. 
When Napoleon insisted, he therefore vehemently re- 
plied : " No, I will never consent to it, and rather than 
bow down before my own son, I will leave France and 
take Napoleon with me, and we will see whether 
you dare rob a father of his child in the face of the 
world ! " 

Such opposition as this was insurmountable for the 
present ; so the Senate, at Napoleon's request, duly an- 
nounced that the imperial title would descend to Napo- 
leon's offspring, and, in default of heirs to his body, to 
his adopted son, or to Joseph and Louis Bonaparte 

78 



Josephine 



and their children, the two other brothers being formally 
excluded from the succession. 

These were also trying times for Josephine, for not 
only was she drawn into all the disputes, and called upon 
to sympathise with all parties in turn, but her tact was 
constantly required to smooth out differences. Besides, 
her own heart was sorely oppressed, for, being a royalist, 
it did not seem right to her that Napoleon should occupy 
the throne, and she was again haunted by the dread that, 
once crowned, he would repudiate her, to secure both a 
princely alliance and an heir to his power. Her most 
serious trouble, however, was a new fancy of Napoleon's 
for a court lady, which so roused Josephine's jealousy, 
that she rashly incurred her husband's anger. 

Indeed, it seemed for awhile as if the Bonapartes' 
machinations would yet prevail, and Josephine be di- 
vorced even before she had ascended the throne, and it 
was then that Hortense said to Madame de Remusat : 
" My mother has been very imprudent ; she is going to 
lose a crown, but at least she will have peace." Hor- 
tense was, however, mistaken, for Josephine's tears and 
submissive behaviour so entirely disarmed Napoleon's 
wrath that he declared that while he hoped she would 
be brave enough to spare him all trouble by taking the 
initiative, should circumstances ever require it, he would 
never be able to part with her as long as she remained 
so affectionate and obedient. 

On the 1 8th of May, the Senate formally voted that 
the title of emperor be awarded to Napoleon, and then 
all the Senators drove off in hot haste to St. Cloud, 
where Cambaceres, the former second consul, and pres- 
ent arch-chancellor, formally welcomed, " Napoleon, 
Emperor of the French." Then, turning to Josephine, 
he declared that France fully appreciated her goodness, 

79 



Empresses of France 

her gentle influence over the head of the state, and the 
amiable tact which gave a peculiar charm to all she did, 
and concluded by saying : " The Senate congratulates 
itself on being the first to greet your Imperial Majesty, 
and he who has the honour to be its spokesman pre- 
sumes to hope that you will deign to count him among 
the number of your most faithful servants." 

This senatorial election, confirmed by a plebiscite 
giving over three million votes to two thousand five 
hundred, proved most gratifying to Napoleon, who now 
proceeded to bestow titles and offices. His two brothers 
were made princes, and the fact that their wives were 
styled princesses made Napoleon's sisters clamour for 
similar titles. He refused at first, but their tears, remon- 
strances, and fainting fits finally prevailed. Sixteen of 
his generals received the title of marshal, and as their 
wives were delighted to see them fill important positions 
in the imperial court, they joyfully reported that, " Every 
one is wild with joy in the castle of St. Cloud ! " 

The very next day their Imperial Majesties held their 
first formal levee at the Tuileries, and gave a family 
dinner-party to the newly made princes and princesses. 
But while all the courtiers poured out adulation without 
stint, a punster called up the ghost of the murdered 
Duke by slily remarking : " 'T is a fine play, but there 
are twenty scenes \ytngt scenes is pronounced nearly like 
Vincennes] too many." 

It was only on 14th of July — the anniversary of the 
taking of the Bastille — that Napoleon appeared in public 
with all the pomp of his new dignity. After hearing 
Mass in the Church of the Invalides, he distributed 
Legion of Honour crosses in the presence of all his court 
and of a vast concourse of people. Josephine, clad in 
rose-coloured tulle strewn with silver stars, and crowned 

80 



Josephine 



with diamond ears of wheat, was simply dazzling on this 
occasion, and the grace and affability she displayed made 
every one declare that '' she outshone all the ladies who 
accompanied her." 

The ceremony over, the new Empress proceeded to 
Aix-la-Chapelle, to drink the waters there, her husband 
arranging every particular of her journey, dictating each 
address she was to make on the way, and prescribing 
every item of her conduct most minutely. These in- 
structions covered more than twenty-one closely written 
foolscap pages, and throughout the journey Josephine 
diligently conned these speeches and instructions. 
While she was drinking the mineral waters at Aix-la- 
Chapelle, Napoleon inspected his armaments at Calais 
and Dunkirk, writing her brief, but affectionate letters, 
in which he said : " I want very much to see you. 
You are always necessary to my happiness." 

On joining Josephine at Aix-la-Chapelle, where he 
restored the yearly festival in honour of Charlemagne, 
Napoleon went with her to visit the mighty emperor's 
tomb in the cathedral vault. There the priests showed 
him a small casket, declaring it could only be opened by 
a man destined to rule the world. To their apparent 
surprise, and Napoleon's secret gratification, the box 
flew open at his touch ; but when the same priests tried 
to win Josephine's favour by offering her Charlemagne's 
right arm, she gracefully answered that she would never 
consent to deprive Aix-la-Chapelle of so priceless a relic, 
as she was so fortunate as to be protected by the arm of 
a man as great as Charlemagne. 

Taking different routes, so as to gratify as many peo- 
ple as possible by a sight of their pompous retinue, the 
Emperor and Empress proceeded to Cologne, Bonn, and 
Coblentz. There, Josephine embarked upon a yacht 
VOL.1. — 6 8i 



Empresses of France 

/ . 

and sailed up the Rhine, stopping here and there to en- 
joy the view, and receive the addresses of the various 
dignitaries of the places she passed. Throughout this 
trip, she fascinated every one by her charming manners 
and genuine kindness of heart, and dressed so artistically 
that she had the secret satisfaction of outshining many 
younger women, and among them the Princess of Baden, 
who had been suggested as the most suitable wife for 
Napoleon, in case of divorce. From Mayence, where a 
new ovation awaited them, but where Napoleon showed 
his usual want of consideration by making Josephine 
attend a ball in spite of a violent sick headache, the Im- 
perial party journeyed by different roads back to Paris. 

From the moment of their return, they and their court 
were almost exclusively engrossed by extensive prepara- 
tions for the coming Coronation, which Napoleon had 
fully determined to make the finest pageant which had 
ever been seen, and the question was now mooted 
whether Josephine should be crowned too. The Bona- 
partes were all against it, for they had not abandoned all 
hope of getting rid of her and of the dreaded Beauhar- 
nais by a divorce. Josephine, on the other hand, was 
very eager to be crowned, not because she coveted the 
honour, but because she fancied it would make her po- 
sition more secure, and effectually prevent any further 
plans for divorce. As for Napoleon, he was divided be- 
tween an affectionate desire to gratify Josephine, and a 
secret conviction that he might yet regret it, for he knew 
it would be easier to repudiate an uncrowned consort, 
should he eventually decide to marry again for the sake 
of an heir. Selfish calculation had already won the day, 
and the tearful Josephine had been coldly informed that 
she would have no share in the coming solemnity, when 
the too openly paraded satisfaction of his brothers and 

82 



Josephine 



sisters produced a sudden revulsion, and Napoleon 
announced a change of mind. 

On the 7th of November, 1804, the Emperor called 
a family and official council at the Tuileries, to regulate 
every detail of the ceremony ; but here new difficulties 
arose, his brothers and sisters flatly refusing to carry their 
Imperial Majesties' trains, as etiquette required. The 
quarrel raged for six days before a compromise was 
effected, whereby Napoleon's two brothers consented to 
support the Emperor's mantle, while his sisters performed 
the same office for the Empress, on condition that cer- 
tain officers of their households were detailed to do them 
honour by carrying their trains. 

Napoleon, who was very dramatic in all his tastes, 
sent for actors and artists to suggest the best setting for 
this ceremony, and finally commissioned the painter 
Isabey to make seven working designs of the principal 
scenes in the coronation ceremony, so that each partici- 
pant would know exactly where and how to stand and 
move. It was next to impossible to execute such a 
commission satisfactorily in the given space of time ; so 
the artist cleverly substituted a huge ground plan of the 
cathedral, upon which he grouped a hundred or more 
dolls, dressed to represent the various dignitaries. This 
device charmed the Emperor, who made all his court 
study the grouping and attitude of the puppets, until all 
knew perfectly each detail of the part they were to play 
in the great pageant. Even coachmen, horses, grooms, 
pages, and guards were made to practise their various 
parts, driving over the whole course in the appointed 
order, so that there might not be even the slightest hitch 
in the glorious performance. 

Meantime, jewellers, dressmakers, tailors, armourers, 
carriage-makers, saddlers, etc., were all hard at work, for 

83 



Empresses of France 

no expense was spared to make this a most brilliant 
spectacle, the people being all agog with curiosity, and 
particularly pleased by the fact that the Pope was coming 
to Paris in person for the ceremony. Toward the end 
of the month, under pretence of hunting, the Imperial 
court was transferred to Fontainebleau, and there Na- 
poleon met Pius VII. at the cross-roads, on the 25th of 
November. Dismounting from his steed, the Emperor 
advanced toward the papal carriage, and the aged prelate 
was compelled to step out in the mud, although he rue- 
fully glanced at his white garb and slippers before doing 
so. The first greetings exchanged, a carriage drove up, 
forcing its way, as if by accident, between the imperial 
and papal parties in such a manner that the Pope and 
Emperor were separated. They, therefore, entered the 
vehicle simultaneously from opposite sides, thus settling 
the vexed question of precedence. This was a clever 
device on the part of the Emperor, who, while wishing to 
show every courtesy to his reverend guest, was childishly 
unwilling at any time to allow any one to precede him. 

Driving thus, side by side, they arrived at the castle, 
where Josephine stood on the steps to welcome her 
guest, and receive the apostolic blessing. The next day 
the Pope gave her a private audience, and, learning that 
her marriage still lacked Heaven's sanction, promised to 
use his influence to make Napoleon consent to a relig- 
ious ceremony before the coronation took place. On 
the 29th of November, the court set out for Paris, the 
Pope and Emperor riding side by side in the same car- 
riage, escorted by the magnificent Mameluck guards. 
Thus they passed through the throng to the Tuileries, 
where the Pope and his suite were lodged in the Flora 
Pavilion. There the Holy Father held daily receptions, 
and when the weather prevented his going out for the 

84 




Josephine. 

Gerard. 



Josephine 



drive, in the course of which he blessed the kneeling 
people, the crowd was admitted into the Gallery of 
Apollo, where the Pope moved slowly between two dense 
rows of ardent Roman Catholics. 

Although it was customary for a sovereign to receive 
communion in public at his coronation. Napoleon re- 
fused to do so, saying it would be an act of rank hypoc- 
risy on his part. He was, however, forced to yield to 
another religious ceremony; for the Pope absolutely 
refused to consecrate Josephine for coronation unless 
the Church first sanctioned their union. In deference 
to the Emperor's wishes, however, this ceremony was 
performed only at midnight, on the eve of the corona- 
tion, and so secretly that people doubted for years whether 
it had really taken place. This marriage was performed 
by Cardinal Fesch, Napoleon's uncle, and witnessed by 
Berthier and Talleyrand, the priest of the parish being 
absent, although his presence was later declared indis- 
pensable to make the contract binding. Josephine, over- 
joyed to have her wish fulfilled at last, notwithstanding 
Napoleon's evident reluctance, wept so profusely that 
her eyes were still red the next morning, and she care- 
fully hoarded the certificate, little suspecting the fatal flaw 
which made it null. 

That self-same night, another religious ceremony was 
taking place at Notre Dame, where red lights blazed 
on the tall towers, for General de Segur held solemn 
vigil over the imperial insigniae which had been laid on 
the altar. This was no small honour or responsibility, 
for the precious stones adorning these ornaments were 
invaluable from historic association, aside from their in- 
trinsic worth. He must, therefore, have rejoiced to see 
day dawn without accident, although the 2nd of Decem- 
ber, 1804, proved bitterly cold and very misty. 

85 



Empresses of France 

To prolong the procession, and prevent any confusion, 
it had been arranged that the papal cortege would leave 
the Tuileries at nine ; so long before that hour, the 
people took up their stations in the street to see it 
pass. The Pope was escorted by troops and Church 
dignitaries, and preceded by a monk on a white mule, 
bearing aloft a huge cross. The Pope himself sat in 
a state carriage, drawn by eight dapple-grey steeds, bless- 
ing the people on either hand as he passed slowly on to 
Notre Dame. 

Meantime, the court assembled for Napoleon's in- 
spection at the Tuileries. The Emperor himself was 
clad in white velvet, embroidered with gold, his crim- 
son doublet and cloak fastened by diamond buttons, 
while a flashing aigrette held the plumes in his black vel- 
vet toque. Josephine wore a marvellous robe of silver 
tissue, embroidered with gold, her white neck being set 
off by an elegant " fraise " of jewelled lace, and her head 
crowned with innumerable short curls and a diadem in 
which the crown fitted exactly, as Napoleon had care- 
fully ascertained the day before. Aside from the diadem 
and crown, which represented an almost fabulous sum of 
money, she also wore diamond earrings, a necklace, and 
a belt which made her seem ablaze with jewels. This 
costly apparel was so becoming, that the court ladies tell 
us she looked only twenty-five, although she was in real- 
ity already past forty when crowned. 

Napoleon's brothers and sisters were so gorgeous in 
their court array, that he looked at them with undis- 
guised admiration, and, unable to restrain his exultation, 
proudly exclaimed : " Ah, Joseph ! if our father could 
only see us ! " But the dead father was not the only 
member of the family missing on this occasion, for 
Lucien and Jerome were still in disgrace because they 

86 



Josephine 



would not repudiate their plebeian wives, and Madame 
Laetitia had refused to grace the ceremony from which 
they were debarred. 

Legend states that when all the court was assembled 
and ready to start, Napoleon suddenly perceived the 
lawyer who had objected to his marriage with Jose- 
phine, and archly pointing to his toque and the sword 
in whose hilt the magnificent " Regent " blazed, tri- 
umphantly remarked : " Well, Monsieur Raguideau, 
here 's the hat and sword ! " 

It was half-past ten when the Imperial cortege finally 
started, Napoleon and Josephine stepping into their won- 
derful glass coach, which rested on richly chased gilt 
wheels, and was surmounted by an imperial crown and 
four gilt eagles. Josephine had scarcely seated herself 
in this sumptuous carriage, when she perceived that she 
had made a mistake, and laughingly changed places, bid- 
ding Napoleon imitate her unless he preferred to ride 
backward like a man condemned to the gallows ! (This 
mistake, which only caused amusement at the time, was 
later regarded as one of the bad omens which marred this 
solemn occasion.) When the Emperor and Empress 
were duly seated, Joseph and Louis took their places 
opposite them, and as the coach moved slowly out of 
the gate, drawn by its eight steeds covered with rich hous- 
ings, it was greeted by deafening cheers. The proces- 
sion, consisting of twenty regiments of cavalry and 
eighteen six-horse carriages full of court dignitaries, 
slowly passed across the Carrousel, up the rue de Ri- 
voli, across the Pont au Change, and as the dazzling Im- 
perial coach drew up before the archiepiscopal palace, the 
sun suddenly burst through the clouds. 

This happy coincidence gave new zest to the cheers, 
for every one considered it a good omen j besides, the 

87 



Empresses of France 

warm sunshine was very welcome to people who had 
been standing on the cold pavement for hours, and were 
grateful for any warmth. They were not the only ones 
to suffer from the cold, however, for all the court ladies 
were bare-necked and scantily clothed, and it was for- 
tunate that Josephine was carefully painted, for she 
would else have appeared blue with the cold, the only 
provision for her comfort in the imperial coach being a 
small rug of white fur spread under her daintily shod 
feet. 

At the archiepiscopal palace, Josephine donned her im- 
perial mantle of crimson velvet, heavily embroidered with 
gold and lined with ermine, and there, too, Napoleon ex- 
changed his court costume for the coronation garb of white 
satin, and an imperial mantle, which, while it greatly resem- 
bled Josephine's, was even richer than hers, and weighed 
no less than eighty pounds. The procession was formed 
and about to enter the cathedral, when Josephine sud- 
denly dropped her ring, which Eugene found and restored, 
but whose temporary loss was subsequently considered 
another evil omen. The ushers, heralds, pages, masters 
of ceremonies, and dignitaries bearing the Empress' in- 
signiae slowly advanced in picturesque groups ten feet 
apart, and were followed by Josephine, escorted on either 
hand by squire and chamberlain, while her sisters-in- 
law supported her imperial mantle. These ladies were 
followed by the officers of their households bearing their 
trains ; then came the Empress' ladies of honour, and the 
state dignitaries carrying Napoleon's insigniae. 

The Emperor himself walked proudly alone, his 
mantle supported by his two brothers, and by Cambaceres 
and Lebrun, who had been second and third consuls, 
but were now arch-chancellor and arch-treasurer of the 
new Empire. Next came court dignitaries, state offi- 

88 



Josephine 



cials, ministers, officers, etc., all in gala uniform, and 
fairly blazing with decorations and gold lace. This 
glittering cortege slowly moved up the aisle of the huge 
church, which was all hung with crimson and gold, and 
brilliantly illuminated by innumerable candles. The 
Pope and clergy, picturesquely grouped near the altar, 
awaited the coming of this procession ; and when their 
Imperial Majesties had taken their places on a small 
platform, Pius VII. solemnly intoned the Veni Creator. 
During this part of the ceremony, the Emperor con- 
signed his hand of justice, sceptre, crown, sword, and 
mantle to the appointed dignitaries, who laid them on 
the altar. Then Josephine gave her ring, mantle, and 
crown to her officers, to be disposed of in a similar 
way. 

After the Emperor had taken his oath, he and Jose- 
phine knelt side by side on their crimson, gold-embroid- 
ered cushions, while the priests sang the litany. They 
were next led to the altar, solemnly anointed by the 
Pope, and duly escorted back to their seats. But the 
grand musical Mass was again interrupted at the 
" Gradual," for the blessing of the imperial ornaments, 
and their Majesties, advancing once more to the altar, 
received these emblems, one by one, from the hands of 
the Pope himself, donning them with the help of their 
attendants. The Emperor had received all his attributes, 
save the crown, which the Pope slowly raised, expecting 
to place it upon the imperial head. But Napoleon, who 
had been watching for this moment, suddenly made a 
step forward, took the crown from the aged prelate's 
hands, and, facing the immense audience, proudly and 
deliberately crowned himself! At that very moment, a 
tiny stone fell from the vault high above him, striking 
his head with considerable force j but he paid no heed to 

89 



Empresses of France 

the accident, which was perceived by very few, although 
one spectator managed to secure and preserve the stone 
as souvenir of this bad omen. 

Napoleon, having thus crowned himself, now pro- 
ceeded to do the same for Josephine, who, advancing 
slowly, gracefully sank down on her knees before him, 
with clasped hands and a bent face, making such an ex- 
quisite picture that none who saw it could ever forget 
it. Napoleon, touched by her attitude, gently fitted the 
crown upon her head, lingering over his task " as if 
promising it would rest lightly " upon the brow of the 
woman he loved. 

Both being crowned, now proceeded, in the same order 
as they had entered, toward the great throne erected 
against the main door of the cathedral. There was, 
however, a slight delay at this point, for the haughty 
princesses suddenly hung back, and only resumed their 
office of mantle-bearers when sharply called to order by 
Napoleon. But their help was so grudgingly given, that 
Josephine felt as if they were pulling her backward, and she 
almost rolled down the steep steps leading to the throne. 
Napoleon, holding his sceptre and hand of justice, and 
further embarrassed by his unwonted long robes, also 
experienced some difficulty ; but both finally reached their 
thrones safely, where they received the Pope's blessing. 
This was followed by deafening cheers from the audience, 
while booming cannons announced abroad that " Na- 
poleon, Emperor of the French, was crowned and 
enthroned." 

A few minutes later, the glittering procession again 
swept through the church toward the altar, for the Te 
Deum and the Offertory, their Majesties' crowns being 
temporarily removed by their attendants at the Elevation 
of the Host. When Mass was finally over, and the 

90 > 




00 '■^ 



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X 



Josephine 

Emperor had duly sworn to respect the constitution, the 
Imperial party went back to the archiepiscopal palace, 
from whence they drove back to the Tuileries, so slowly, 
that it was half-past six before they arrived there, and a 
good part of the journey had to be accomplished by 
torch light. 

Once home. Napoleon impatiently removed his state 
trappings to resume his wonted uniform ; but he playfully 
insisted upon Josephine retaining her becoming apparel 
for their tete-a-tete dinner. In fact, his mood was so 
merry that evening, that he gallantly informed the court 
ladies that they owed him thanks for affording them so 
fine a chance to display their charms and good taste, and 
was far more complimentary than usual. 

The coronation ceremony was followed by a series of 
public and private entertainments, which made that win- 
ter the gayest the capital had ever seen. Popular fetes 
with games and feasting, military pageants, illuminations, 
gala representations, balls, and receptions, followed each 
other with bewildering rapidity, and the Emperor and 
Empress were received everywhere with extravagant 
demonstrations of joy. Almost the only drawback was 
the pouring rain which marred the distribution of the 
eagles to the troops on the Champ de Mars, Both their 
Majesties appeared there in imperial state ; but Josephine 
had to withdraw long before the end of the ceremony, 
for the water began to drip through the dais above her 
head and threatened to ruin her beautiful gown. Napo- 
leon's sister Caroline alone remained at her post, although 
she had a puddle of water in her lap before the ceremony 
concluded ; but she laughingly averred that she was only 
learning her trade, as all princesses must be trained to 
endure the greatest discomfort with a pleasant smile on 
their lips. 

91 



Empresses of France 

The city of Paris gave their Majesties a magnificent 
banquet and ball, presenting Josephine with an elabo- 
rate toilet service of massive gold, and giving Napoleon a 
fine table service of silver gilt plate. But while the Im- 
perial party was feasting in the City Hall, the people held 
high revelry on the square, where the municipality pro- 
vided food for all, and where the fountains flowed with 
beer and wine. The marshals' ball, given soon after at 
the Opera House, was equally magnificent, for each of 
those newly appointed officers contributed ten thousand 
francs, and every device was used to insure a brilliant 
success. 

Besides Isabey's famous cartoons, one of the most 
interesting mementos of the Coronation now extant is 
doubtless the huge painting which is said to contain about 
one hundred portraits. David, who had helped arrange 
the pageant, had been commissioned to commemorate 
it, and, the choice being left to him, he selected the 
moment when Napoleon crowned Josephine. ' The 
picture was greatly admired, but when one critic ven- 
tured to remark that Josephine was made to appear too 
young, the artist slily retorted : " Well, go and tell 
her so!" 

As soon as this huge painting was finished. Napoleon 
came to view it, and after a prolonged, silent examina- 
tion, he approached the anxious painter and said : " Well 
done, David, very well done. You seized my whole 
intention, you have represented me as a French knight. 
I am much obliged to you for thus transmitting to com- 
ing centuries the proof of affection I wished to bestow 
upon the one who shares with me the cares of the gov- 
ernment." Then, removing his hat and bowing low, 
Napoleon added impressively : " David, I salute you ! " 

The picture which elicited such praise from Napoleon 
92 



Josephine 



is, however, inaccurate in some respects, for Madame 
Laetitia, who occupies the centre of the background, 
was not present. 

The Coronation having taken place, imperial etiquette 
was strictly maintained. Napoleon regulating every detail 
with military precision. Josephine now had an exten- 
sive " household," for besides her first lady-in-waiting, 
Madame de la Rochefoucault, she had seventeen other 
ladies to attend her in turn. They all found her a 
gentle, amiable mistress, and her reader declared : " I 
don't think there ever existed a better tempered or 
gentler-natured woman." This excessive good nature, 
however, degenerated into weakness ; for Josephine, as 
we have seen, could never refuse a gift or favour, and 
was so lavish that she often spent far more than even 
lier large allowance would warrant. 

Besides, people presumed upon her good-nature, and 
shortly after her coronation, for instance, induced her to 
plead for pardon for a man who had murdered his wife 
in a fit of jealousy. Josephine, therefore, attacked Napo- 
leon, finally using the argument that he must grant this 
favour as it was the first she asked of the Emperor. 
But Napoleon still refused, explaining his reasons for 
doing so, and proudly added : " When it is known that 
even your persuasions could not induce me to commit 
an act of injustice, no one will henceforth dare to 
petition me for such a purpose." 

The brilliant winter of 1805 ended with the baptism 
of Hortense's two young sons at St. Cloud; and soon 
after, the Pope departed, joining the Imperial party again 
at Lyons for the celebration of Easter. Josephine had 
little time to prepare for this journey, her first intima- 
tion of their departure being Napoleon's midnight order : 
" Horses at six for Italy." In spite of this short notice, 

93 



Empresses of France 

however, she was ready in time, for she prided herself 
upon never keeping any one waiting half a minute, when 
punctuality depended upon her alone, and often said : 
" Punctuality is true politeness, especially in the great." 

The journey proved most enjoyable, for although 
Napoleon had not taken her into his confidence, all his 
preparations had been carefully made in advance, includ- 
ing the transportation of her suite and luggage, which 
he laughingly declared was a more serious problem than 
the removal of the artillery of a whole division of the 
grand army. After a series of ovations, and a brief 
visit at Brienne, the Imperial party reached Mont Cenis, 
where they fouijd elegant sedan-chairs awaiting them, 
in which they were carried over the mountain ; and 
when they reached Marengo they celebrated the fifth 
anniversary of the battle, by laying the corner-stone of 
a monument to Desaix. Napoleon here gave Josephine 
the sight of a sham battle, admirably described in one of 
the most thrilling chapters of Xaintine's " Picciola." 

On the morrow. Napoleon met his brother Jerome at 
Alexandra, and having prevailed upon him to repudiate 
his young American wife, at last deigned to restore him 
to favour. Then Napoleon and Josephine passed on 
to Milan, where a new ovation awaited them, and where, 
from a gallery in the magnificent cathedral, Josephine 
saw her husband raise the iron crown of Lombardy to 
his head, and heard the thrilling tone in which he uttered 
the time-honoured : " God has given it to me, woe to 
him who touches it ! " 

Although Josephine was not crowned Queen of Italy, 
she had a full share of all the honours showered upon 
her husband, appearing everywhere with the grace and 
affability which had won the Italians' hearts when she 
was only the wife of General Bonaparte. At the Brera 

94 



Josephine 

Exposition, she and Napoleon greatly admired Canova's 
Hebe, which they purchased for Malmaison, and his fine 
statue of Clement XIII. ; but such a throng had collected 
there to see them, that an old man was knocked down, 
and when Josephine compassionately raised him with her 
own hands, the impressionable crowd almost went mad 
with joy. 

On the 7th of June, Josephine had a new gratification, 
for Eugene de Beauharnais was appointed viceroy of 
Italy, amid the deafening cheers of the people, whom 
this choice delighted. The only drawback to the Em- 
press' pleasure over this appointment, was the thought that 
she would be parted from this beloved son. Napoleon, 
finding her weeping over this prospect, added, however, a 
new pang to her sorrow by remarking sadly : " If the 
absence of your children causes you such grief, judge of 
my feelings. The affection you display for them, makes 
me feel very keenly the misfortune of having none of 
my own." 

After establishing his sister Eliza in the principality 
of Lucca and Piombino, Napoleon returned to Turin 
with Josephine, where they had recently taken leave 
of the Pope ; and hearing that a new coalition was 
forming, and war would soon be declared, the Imperial 
couple suddenly hastened back to France. Such was 
the speed with which they travelled, that their suite and 
baggage could not keep up with them, and water had to 
be thrown upon the smoking axles at every relay. But 
even this rate of speed seemed too slow for Napoleon, 
who constantly thrust his head out of the window, 
crying : '' On ! on ! we do not move ! " Posting thus 
at full speed, they arrived at Fontainebleau unex- 
pectedly, after an absence of one hundred days, and 
while the caretaker of the palace improvised a meal 

95 



Empresses of France 

for them, Josephine borrowed a change of linen from 
her former chambermaid. 

The next day, the Imperial couple drove on to St. 
Cloud ; and when they appeared at the Opera that even- 
ing, their return was hailed with extravagant delight by 
the Parisians. Josephine spent the main part of that 
summer at St. Cloud, entertaining incessantly, and en- 
joying frequent visits from her daughter and two small 
grandsons ; while the Emperor diligently continued his 
preparations for war. But, one evening, he abruptly 
remarked to Josephine : " You have played the part of 
Empress long enough, now you must again become the 
wife of a general. I am going to leave immediately, and 
I will take you with me to Strasburg." 

This decision was gladly welcomed by Josephine, 
because she knew that she would thus sooner receive 
news from him during the campaign. But the letters 
she got at Strasburg, although anxiously expected and 
eagerly read, were not by far as affectionate as those 
she had received from Italy, and laughed over, nine 
years before. Napoleon wrote that he was never so 
well and happy as when exposed to the turmoils and 
hardships of war ; but Josephine longed for peace, because 
her tender heart ached at the thought of the suffering 
each battle entailed, and because she was sad and lonely 
without her husband. 

But although she begged permission to share the 
Emperor's fatigues and perils, he would not allow her 
to do so, and bade her go instead to Baden, Stuttgart, 
and Munich, where, he said, she must accept every 
homage, " For they owe you everything, and you owe 
them nothing but courtesy." 

Josephine eagerly welcomed this opportunity to draw 
nearer to the man she loved, and set out with her suite, 

96 



Josephine 



enjoying all the adulation she received, but anxiously 
watching for tidings of the next battle. They reached 
her late one evening, Napoleon's messenger having 
ridden one hundred and fifty miles in twelve hours, to 
bring her the news of the victory of Austerlitz, the cul- 
minating point of his military glory. Josephine, whose 
keen ears had caught the first sound of hoof-beats, ran 
out to meet the messenger, and in her delight rewarded 
him with a diamond ring which she drew from her own 
finger. 

The next day, the happy tidings were confirmed by 
a letter from Napoleon, and by the time Josephine 
reached Munich, rumours were already afloat that the 
Emperor was arranging a marriage between Eugene and 
Princess Augusta of Bavaria, The demands of society 
and a slight indisposition having prevented Josephine 
from writing as fully and frequently as usual during this 
journey. Napoleon addressed her the following playful 
remonstrance : — 

" Great Empress, no letter from you since your 
departure from Strasburg. You have passed through 
Baden, Stuttgart, and Munich without writing us a 
word. That is neither very kind nor very loving." 
Then, after briefly giving her the news, he concluded 
in the same strain, saying, " Deign, from the height of 
your grandeur, to vouchsafe a little attention to your 
slaves." 

On the last day of that eventful year. Napoleon 
entered Munich by torchlight, and on the morrow 
solemnly proclaimed Maximilian Joseph, King of 
Bavaria. Four days later, he wrote to his stepson, bid- 
ding him join him as soon as possible at MUnich, but 
giving him no hint of the reason for summoning him 
VOL. I. —7 p7 



Empresses of France 

thither. Eugene, travelling night and day, reached 
Miinich early one morning before his mother had risen, 
and was immediately ushered into Napoleon's presence. 
Knowing how happy Josephine would be to hear of her 
son's safe arrival, one of her women hastened to an- 
nounce his coming ; but when Josephine heard that her 
son had gone to Napoleon first, she burst into jealous 
tears, which only ceased when the door was flung wide 
open and Napoleon entered with Eugene, exclaiming 
soothingly : " There, madame, there is your big booby 
of a son. I am bringing him to you myself ! " 

Josephine's " big booby," a handsome, noble-hearted, 
dashing young soldier of twenty-four, was now informed 
of his stepfather's plans. But although it seemed 
somewhat strange that his bride should have consented 
to the marriage nine days before he knew anything 
about it, he was too heart-whole to object. Josephine, 
watching the two young people carefully, was further 
delighted to see how favourably they impressed one 
another, and when the wedding took place eleven days 
later, she could congratulate her son upon having com- 
bined a love-match with a political alliance. Her joy 
over this marriage and unexpected reunion was, besides, 
enhanced by the fact that Napoleon now publicly adopted 
Eugene, giving him his own name, and promising that 
he should inherit the crown of Italy. 

The wedding festivities over, the young people went 
to Milan, while Napoleon and Josephine returned to 
France, where they were welcomed with greater enthusi- 
asm than ever, for the victory of Austerlitz had greatly 
enhanced the national glory. The return of their 
Majesties was the signal for new festivities, which cul- 
minated in the spring with the marriage of Stephanie de 
Beauharnais, Josephine's niece, whom Napoleon adopted 

98 



Josephine 



before marrying her to the Prince of Baden. This was 
a new occasion for heartburnings, for Napoleon's sisters 
resented the fact that precedence should be given to the 
Emperor's adopted daughter, and Josephine found him 
far too attentive to so young and charming a princess. 
Still, she dared not show her jealousy, for she was glad 
to further the interests of the Beauharnais family, and 
fully enjoyed appearing with her husband on the Tui- 
leries balcony, in all the bravery of her imperial state, to 
present the newly married couple to a cheering crowd. 

This marriage was soon followed by a reception of 
the Turkish embassy, which brought Josephine beautiful 
pearls and priceless Eastern stuffs, and by the official 
reception of the Dutch envoys, who offered the crown 
of Holland to Louis and Hortense. But although 
Josephine was proud to think her son and daughter 
were ruling over the kingdoms of Italy and of Holland, 
she nevertheless missed their presence sorely. Besides, 
she knew how regretfully Hortense left the congenial 
society of Parisian artists and writers, to follow her 
morose husband into a country where people and language 
seemed equally strange. She also mourned parting with 
her grandchildren, both of whom she idolised ; while 
Napoleon centred all his affections upon the eldest, a 
remarkably bright child of three. This boy showed a 
strange preference for his august uncle, although the 
latter teased him unmercifully at times, and was never 
so pleased as when he had roused the spirited child's 
anger or resistance. 

Josephine tried to keep in touch with Hortense by 
a lively correspondence, wherein she revealed all her 
maternal tenderness, and her strange dependence upon 
the stronger character of her daughter. She was, however, 
to see Hortense again much sooner than she expected, 
LofC. 99 



Empresses of France 



for, a new war having broken out against Russia and 
Prussia, Napoleon arranged that Hortense and Stephanie 
should meet Josephine at Mayence, and keep her com- \_ 
pany there, while their husbands joined him with their 
armies. 

Finding that he must start sooner than expected, 
Napoleon suddenly determined to leave the Tuileries 
without warning Josephine, who, discovering his inten- 
tion at the last minute, ran down to his carriage half 
dressed, clinging so passionately to him that he could not 
leave her behind. He, therefore, gave a few hasty orders, 
and rolling her up in his travelling rug, drove quickly 
away. This tete-a-tete journey proved most enjoyable 
to Josephine ; but when the moment of parting came. 
Napoleon was moved to tears and almost fainted at the 
sight of his wife's great grief. 

Josephine, left at Mayence with her suite, beguiled 
the time in the congenial society of her daughter and 
niece, eagerly watching for her husband's brief letters, 
wherein he stated that while all was going well for him, 
the hapless Queen of Prussia would soon have the " cruel 
pleasure " of witnessing a battle. Josephine, who was 
as credulous as most Creoles of her time, was telling fort- 
unes by cards, and had just predicted, " Great news, in- 
credible victory," twice in succession, when a messenger 
arrived from Jena, with a letter from Napoleon, saying : 

" My dear Josephine : we have overtaken the Prussian 
army, it no longer exists. I am well and press you to 
my heart." 

This strange coincidence so delighted her that she 
triumphantly exclaimed : " Well, will you believe in my 
cards, after this ! " 

Napoleon's subsequent letters were almost equally 
brief bulletins of health and success ; but while he seemed 



Josephine 



to think of nothing but glory, she pitied the vanquished, 
and gently reproached her husband for mentioning un- 
happy Queen Louise in slighting terms. Napoleon an- 
swered this letter by a compliment which pleased her 
greatly, for he said : " I have received your letter in 
which you seem to reproach me for speaking ill of 
women. The truth is, I hate a scheming woman above 
all things. I am used to good, sweet, conciliating 
women, those are the ones I love. If they have spoiled 
me, it is none of my fault, but yours." Then he went 
on to tell her how he had given Madame de Hatzfelt 
leave to burn the only tangible proof of her husband's 
treachery, — posing as a magnanimous man, although 
history claims that Hatzfelt could never have been justly 
sentenced to death on this evidence, — and concluded his 
letter with the words : " So you see, I love good, sweet, 
simple women, because those only are like you." 

Prussia was conquered ; but peace had not yet been 
signed, and as it seemed as if the war might carry him 
still further away, Josephine entreated to be allowed to 
join him. For a time Napoleon encouraged her to be- 
lieve they might soon meet ; but he finally announced 
that he must go on to Poland, and that it was entirely 
out of the question that she should travel so far at the 
beginning of winter. This decision was a severe blow 
to Josephine, who feared that a prolonged absence would 
weaken her influence, and who was further disquieted by 
rumours of Napoleon's unveiled admiration for the hand- 
some Polish women. But although he vowed he was 
flattered by her jealousy, and had no time to ascertain 
whether the Polish women were pretty or not, he was 
deceiving Josephine, who suited him so well that he had 
fully determined not to divorce her until he was quite 
sure he could become a father. Urged on by evil 

lOI 



Empresses of France 

counsellors, ever ready to help him gratify each passing 
fancy, however criminal. Napoleon selected for this im- 
moral experiment Madame Walewska, a beautiful young 
Polish woman, who had recently been married to an old 
and unloved spouse. Artful people so worked upon the 
feelings of this ardently patriotic young woman, that they 
made her believe that Poland would be lost unless she 
consented to sacrifice herself upon what they wickedly 
called the altar of her country. 

Napoleon, violently enamoured of her beauty, and de- 
termined to overcome her resistance, helped to confirm 
her in this belief by one of his famous simulated outbursts 
of anger, dashing his watch to pieces in her presence and 
violently declaring : " But remember, that, like this watch, 
which I hold in my hand and destroy in your presence, 
Poland's very name shall perish with all your hopes, if 
you drive me to extremities, by repelling my love and 
withholding your own." 

Young, inexperienced, and not only forsaken, but urged 
on by persons who were older and should have been 
wiser, the unfortunate woman succumbed, and, yielding to 
Napoleon's personal magnetism, — to which she was not 
insensible, — forsook all that honour holds dear, in the 
mistaken belief that she was serving her country. But 
she gave many proofs of unselfish love to the man who 
so cruelly used her, not only following him to the castle 
of Frankenstein, where she lived in utter seclusion in 
one room, but accompanying him later to Paris. There, 
she was presented at court, and she ultimately bore him 
a son, who, although never openly recognised, is men- 
tioned by name in Napoleon's will. He lived to become 
one of Napoleon III.'s principal advisors, and his striking 
resemblance to his illustrious father called forth frequent 
comments at the court of the Second Empire. 

102 



Joseph! 



ine 

Madame Walewska further showed her devotion to 
Napoleon by visiting him at Fontainebleau and Elba, 
where she offered to share his exile, and by making 
friends with Josephine, whom she visited at Malmaison 
after the abdication, to mourn with her over Napoleon's 
misfortunes. After the battle of Waterloo, Madame 
Walewska married one of Napoleon's cousins; but it is 
popularly believed that her death, in 1816, was caused 
by her intense grief over her former lover's sufferings on 
the island of St. Helena. 

While under the spell of his passion for Madame 
Walewska, Napoleon, hoping to blind Josephine, wrote 
more frequent and affectionate letters than usual. But 
this stratagem proved a failure, for Josephine intuitively 
perceived when Napoleon was deceiving her, and in this 
case her suspicions were amply confirmed by the spies 
whom she feed to keep her posted concerning all her 
husband's doings. Her jealousy and dejection became 
so apparent, that rumours of it reached Napoleon's ears, 
and when he bade her return to Paris, he added : " They 
tell me you are always weeping ; shame ! how naughty 
that is ! Your letter of the 7th wounds me. Do try 
to be worthy of me and stronger-minded. I wish you 
to assume all the necessary state in Paris, and above all 
to be contented. I am perfectly well and love you very 
dearly ; but if you cry all the time, I shall consider you 
devoid of courage and force of character. I don't like 
cowards, and an empress must be brave." 

These bracing admonitions proved quite unavailing, 
however; for Josephine knew there was no truth or 
honour in the man she loved, and that his protestations 
of fidelity were all false. She dared not, however, resist 
his will, so she sadly parted from her daughter and 
grandchildren, and wended her way back to Paris alone. 

103 



Empresses of France 

Still, Josephine's nature was never very deep, and 
even while she grieved over her private sorrows, her 
vanity was nevertheless gratified by the continuous ova- 
tion which accompanied her to Paris, where her return 
was welcomed by a series of fulsome addresses. In 
February, Josephine learned the news of the victory at 
Eylau, and in March rejoiced over the birth of Eugene's 
first child, who was called Josephine, at Napoleon's 
special request. But these good tidings could not silence 
the court gossip concerning Napoleon and his Polish 
mistress, gossip which was reported to Napoleon, and 
which he bade Josephine check, saying : " I learn, my 
dear, that the slander talked in your drawing-room at 
Mayence is being revived. Do silence people. I will 
be very much displeased with you, if you do not put a 
stop to it." 

Although in most of his letters he enjoined upon her 
to be " gay and contented," she was very far from that 
enviable state of mind. Still her mental suffering was to 
be further intensified by the sudden news of the death, 
from croup, of her eldest grandchild, her favourite, as well 
as Napoleon's. These tidings reached her on the same 
day as Gerard's picture, representing the boy playing with 
his illustrious uncle's hat and sword. 

Josephine, not daring to leave the country without 
Napoleon's permission, hastened immediately to Laeken 
on the frontier, imploring Hortense to meet her there, so 
they could mingle their tears. But the calamity which 
almost robbed Hortense of her senses, and which so 
sorely afflicted Josephine, merely shocked Napoleon, 
although he promised a reward of twelve thousand francs 
for the best paper on the treatment of the fell disease 
which had so suddenly robbed him of the promising 
child he had often wished to adopt as his heir. 

104 



Josephine 



Hortense's health was so affected by the loss of this 
boy, that her husband allowed her to return with Jose- 
phine to Paris ; and when the physicians ordered her to 
Cauterets in the Pyrenees, he followed her there, during 
a period of temporary peace in their troubled matrimonial 
affairs. Napoleon, whose nature would not brook 
grieving over the past, tried to brace Hortense by philo- 
sophical platitudes, which, however, proved less helpful 
than Josephine's companionship and her tender letters, 
full of womanly details about the pretty sayings and 
doings of the second child, who remained with her while 
his mother was in the Pyrenees. 

In June, Napoleon won the battle of Friedland, and 
had the famous interview with the Emperor of Russia at 
Tilsit. There they arranged the terms of a peace, in 
which Napoleon abandoned the cause of the Poles, while 
Alexander allowed the King of Prussia to be robbed of 
a great part of his territory. This monarch, in despair, 
sent for his wife, hoping she might obtain better terms 
from the conqueror; but while Napoleon was evidently 
flattered by the beautiful queen's attempt to mollify him, 
he resisted all her efforts, and proudly wrote to his wife : 
" While I was polite, I did not give up my politics." 

Other accounts claim that, keeping his own interests 
constantly in sight. Napoleon proved very unchivalrous 
toward Queen Louise, leading her to expect more than 
he was willing to grant, and playing with her as a cat 
does with a mouse. He was so elated over his victories 
and the terms of peace he finally secured, that Josephine, 
who knew him better than any one else, ruefully cried : 
" The Emperor is so happy that he will surely scold a 
great deal when he comes back ! " 

The Emperor's return, after almost a year's absence, 
was welcomed by addresses full of flattery, for this last 

105 



Empresses of France 

campaign had further enhanced his military glory. Not 
only did he now deem himself invincible, but he con- 
sidered himself so far above all other human beings ; that 
even his wife no longer dared to call him Bonaparte as 
of old, but generally addressed him as " your Majesty " 
and " Sire." In her fear of rousing his displeasure, and 
thereby furnishing a pretext for the dreaded divorce, she 
dared neither reproach him for his infidelity, nor object 
openly to Madame Walewska's presentation at court. 
Instead of finding fault with him, she, on the contrary, 
tried to retain her hold upon him by the utmost gentle- 
ness and submission, showing almost abject gratitude 
when he allowed her to share his next birthday ovation 
at St. Cloud. 

In that same month of August, they celebrated in the 
Tuileries the marriage of Jerome Bonaparte and the 
Princess of Wurtemberg, which had been definitely set- 
tled at Tilsit, where Jerome was named King of West- 
phalia. Hortense, having returned from Cauterets more 
depressed than ever, after her brief reconciliation and last 
quarrel with her husband, joined Josephine at Fontaine- 
bleau, where both women spent hours in the beautiful 
forest, musing over their sorrowful positions, while 
Napoleon hunted as usual. But his company was even 
more disquieting than his absence, for he now constantly 
spoke of his need of an heir, declaring that it was only 
too evident no member of the Bonaparte family would 
ever submit to be ruled by a Beauharnais, or any other 
man he might select to succeed him. Anxious to spare 
his own feelings and repute, he told Josephine that her 
love for him ought to prompt her to spare him further 
pain by taking the initiative, and withdrawing of her own 
free will, so that he could marry again. 

Sundry hints had prepared Josephine for what was 
io6 



Josephine 



coming, and knowing that assent or opposition would be 
equally dangerous, she now followed a clever piece of 
advice by saying submissively : " Sire, you are the mas- 
ter and shall decide my fate. When you order me to 
leave the Tuileries, I will obey instantly ; but the least 
you can do is to command it positively. I am your 
wife ; I have been crowned by you in the presence of the 
Pope. Such honours cannot voluntarily be set aside. 
If you divorce me, all France must know that it is you 
who send me away, and shall be made fully aware both 
of my obedience and of my profound sorrow." 

Fouche, one of Napoleon's most efficient, but un- 
scrupulous servants, acting probably by his order, 
although apparently of his own volition, sent Josephine 
a diplomatic letter, in which he, too, urged her to with- 
draw, so his master could marry again. But instead of 
answering this letter, Josephine showed it to Napoleon, 
complaining of Fouche's officiousness, and renewing her 
declaration that in this matter she would yield only to 
positive orders from him. 

Napoleon, caught in his own trap, or really displeased 
at Fouche's impertinence, now wrote him a sharp letter, 
bidding him mind his own business, and, being a prey 
just then to one of his spasmodic attacks of love for 
Josephine, he vowed with tears that he would never be 
able to bid her depart. This vacillation on his part 
arose not only from his undoubted though supremely 
selfish love for Josephine, but also from a sneaking fear lest 
another wife might prove more exacting and less accom- 
modating. Besides, he was not free from a superstitious 
dread that good luck might desert him if he broke off his 
marriage, for he was aware that, according to the popu- 
lar belief, " a man who fails in his duty to a woman who 
has claims upon his love and protection, never after- 

107 



Empresses of France 

wards prospers." This conviction had been encouraged 
by Josephine, who once showed him a star, saying : 
" Bonaparte, behold that bright star ; it is mine ; and 
remember, to mine, not to thine, has sovereignty been 
promised. Separate our fates and your star fades ! " 

Now, while one faction of courtiers was in favour of 
the divorce, the majority of the officials liked Josephine, 
and wished her to remain, for they realised, as Talley- 
rand said, that " she is gentle and good, she has the art 
of pacifying him [Napoleon] , she can put herself in the 
place of others. She is a refuge to us in a thousand 
occasions. If a princess arrives here, you will see the 
Emperor quarrel with all his court and we will all be 
crushed." Indeed, Josephine was so kind and good, 
that, even in the midst of these divorce perplexities, and 
while she was mourning for her mother, who had just 
died at Martinique, she never forgot the comfort of 
others. She even showed her solicitude for her hus- 
band's soldiers, by refusing to allow them to mount 
guard at night before her door at Fontainebleau, saying : 
" These brave soldiers have enough to suffer from the 
hardships of war when on the battlefield. In my ser- 
vice they must rest. I don't wish them to spend any 
sleepless nights here." 

The depression of Hortense's and Josephine's spirits, 
and his own uncertainty regarding the divorce, made 
the Emperor leave Fontainebleau without regret, and 
resolve to journey alone to Italy, in spite of the fact that 
Josephine longed to go thither to see her son and new 
granddaughter. But, although not averse to monopo- 
lising all the attention and adulation on this journey. 
Napoleon wrote his wife frequent duty letters, " such as 
are written at fifty," to use his own expression, although 
he was then only forty years of age. 

1 08 



Josephine 



During that journey, he had an interview with his 
still recalcitrant brother Lucien, who again not only re- 
fused to part with his wife, but showed all his old ani- 
mosity for Josephine, by retorting pointedly to one of 
Napoleon's contemptuous remarks : " At least my 
woman of gallantry is young and handsome ! " This 
taunt so angered the Emperor that he broke his watch, 
crying : " I could crush you as I crush this bauble ; but 
you are my brother, go ! " 

Josephine, meantime, had returned to Paris to wel- 
come the Old Guard home from the war. She was 
also present at the military school celebration ; but al- 
though as gracious and affable as ever, such pageants 
had lost many of their charms, for she fancied each 
might be her last. 

On returning from his journey, at nine o'clock in the 
evening on the ist of January, 1808, Napoleon affec- 
tionately returned Josephine's good wishes ; but he no 
longer lived on the same intimate footing with her as of 
yore, and seldom entered her apartments. Still, he was, 
as a rule, kind and pleasant, and greatly enjoyed the 
masked balls which he and Josephine frequently at- 
tended. She never failed to recognise him there, 
and often managed to mystify him, laughing merrily 
when he remarked one day : " Do you know, gentlemen, 
that I was regularly discovered by a young lady who 
seemed an accomplished intriguer, and yet, would you 
believe it, I could never recognise the flirt ! " 

But even in the midst of her happiest hours and most" 
peaceful amusements, the divorce spectre would suddenly 
rise, for now and again Napoleon himself mentioned it, 
saying : " What a glorious sacrifice you can make, not 
only to me, but to our empire ! " Still, when he was 
ill or depressed, no one could comfort or nurse him so 

109 



Empresses of France 

acceptably as Josephine, whom he then clung to with 
tears, crying : " No, my poor Josephine, I shall never 
be able to part with you ! " 

One of these hysterical demonstrations occurring one 
day after she was all dressed for a ball, the Empress was 
forced to give up attending it so as to minister to him. 
However, the impending divorce might have been con- 
summated sooner, had not affairs in Spain suddenly re- 
quired all Napoleon's presence further south. He 
therefore set out for Bayonne, bidding Josephine join 
him on the way, although this time she would fain have 
remained in Paris until her daughter 's third confinement 
was safely over. Forced to leave before this event, 
Josephine heard of the birth of her grandson — the 
future Napoleon HI. — at Bordeaux, where these good 
tidings helped to make her sojourn pleasant. From 
thence, she proceeded to Bayonne, whither Napoleon 
had preceded her, and where he used her as an uncon- 
scious tool, while he despoiled the Spanish king of his 
throne, which he bestowed upon his brother Joseph. 

While Napoleon discussed politics with the inefficient 
King, Josephine amused the Queen by talking dress and 
fashions, and lavishing dainty gifts upon her. But 
when she discovered the real motive of her husband's 
apparent kindliness, she was greatly dismayed, and 
although she dared offer no open remonstrance, her 
common-sense plainly told her that the time would 
come when Napoleon's overweening ambition would 
cause his downfall. 

After their sojourn at Bayonne, their Imperial Majes- 
ties visited other great cities in southern and western 
France, returning to St. Cloud for the imperial birthday 
festivities. A brief period of comparative inaction now 
ensued, before the Emperor set out alone for Erfurth, 

no 



Josephine 



to meet his new ally, the Russian Emperor, and discuss 
important plans with him. 

During this time the Emperor was in such a genial 
mood that on the eve of his journey he indulged in what 
was to prove his last game of prisoner's base, calling out 
servants with torches so that the game might be finished 
in spite of the gathering darkness. But although 
Josephine would have liked to accompany him, he 
would not take her with him on this voyage, for, as she 
shrewdly suspected, one of the questions to be discussed 
was that of his divorce and remarriage with the eldest 
sister of the Czar. His letters, however, made no mention 
of the latter fact ; but instead, he posed in them as an 
elderly man, saying : " The Emperor Alexander dances, 
but I do not. Forty is forty." 

The brilliant assembly at Erfurth, however, soon dis- 
persed, and Napoleon, after a brief stay in Paris, hastened 
on to Spain, returning thence only in January, 1809, to 
set out soon after on a new Austrian campaign. Once 
more, Josephine accompanied him as far as Strasburg, 
taking up her abode there as Regent, with Cambaceres 
as main assistant, and parting there from the husband 
who, in one sense, was never to belong to her again. 
This sojourn in Strasburg was enlivened by visits from 
Hortense and Stephanie, and by letters from Napoleon, 
giving minute instructions and brief reports of his doings 
and health. But this was, on the whole, a sorrowful 
time for Josephine, for aside from the already mentioned 
causes of worry and grief, she greatly disapproved of the 
Emperor's policy, and felt that his unjust treatment of 
the Pope would necessarily be punished. All these 
anxieties so preyed upon her health, that she had to un- 
dergo a course of treatment at Plombieres before return- 
ing to Malmaison, where her flowers were thriving, and 

III 



Empresses of France 

where no less than one hundred and eighty-four different 
species, unknown to France, had already bloomed for 
the first time. 

The Emperor's cold letters made Josephine dread his 
return, for she knew they heralded the end ; but his last 
missive again revived all her hopes, and left her entirely 
unprepared for what was coming. Napoleon wrote 
from Nymphenberg : " I am here since yesterday, in 
good health, and won't leave till to-morrow. I will stop 
one day at Stuttgart. You will be warned of my arrival 
at Fontainebleau twenty-four hours in advance ; I rejoice 
at the prospect of seeing you, and await that moment 
with impatience. I embrace you. Wholly yours." 

This transformed Josephine's despondent mood to one 
of joyful anticipation, and she anxiously awaited the 
arrival of the courier to set out for Fontainebleau, where 
she fancied a joyful reunion would yet take place. 
Either by accident, or through design. Napoleon travelled 
so rapidly that he overtook his own courier at the gates 
of Fontainebleau, and, sending him on to summon 
Josephine, entered the palace where so many important 
events in his life were still to occur. There, he was 
joined by Cambaceres, to whom he immediately gave his 
instructions for the coming divorce, which he now de-' 
clared indispensable. He wished the statement clearly 
made that he and the Empress separated by mutual con- 
sent for the sake of France, arranged that Josephine 
should retain her title, rank next to the future Empress, 
have Malmaison, the Elysee, and Navarre as abodes, 
receive a million francs income, all her debts being paid, 
and added : " I wish ever to keep her near me as my 
best and most aiFectionate friend." 

This matter had scarcely been settled, when the 
Emperor heard a carriage drive up, and thinking it 

112 



Josephine 



brought Josephine, he ran down to open the door. But 
when he found it only contained some of her attendants, 
he withdrew displeased to his study, and when Josephine 
arrived a few minutes later, bent so closely over his work 
that he seemed absorbed in that only. Struck to the 
heart at the Emperor's failure to meet and welcome her 
at the door, as usual after a long absence, Josephine en- 
tered his study with much trepidation, and when he coldly 
remarked : " Ah ! you have come, madame ? It is well, 
for I was about to start for St. Cloud," tears sprang to 
her eyes. Still these tokens of feeling, and her explana- 
tion of the delay, mollified the Emperor's wrath to such 
an extent that he soon consented to kiss her, acknow- 
ledged that he had been hasty, and gently dismissed her 
to prepare for their tete-a-tete meal. 

With the utmost despatch, Josephine donned a white 
satin gown all trimmed with swansdown, twined bluets 
and silver wheat in her hair, — a toilet which proved so 
becoming that her lord and master deigned to appear 
pleased, and became quite genial. But Josephine soon 
discovered that her worst presentiments were to be justi- 
fied, for the passage establishing private communication 
between their rooms had already been closed by his 
order. Napoleon, who liked to depute all disagreeable 
tasks to others, decided to make Josephine's children 
break the news of the divorce to her, and therefore sum- 
moned them both to court. Meantime, he tried to pre- 
tend that all was just as usual, surrounded himself with 
august guests, and gave hunting parties as long as they 
remained at Fontainebleau. But he carefully avoided 
being alone with his wife, and when they journeyed 
back to Paris, made the trip on horseback, rather than be 
shut up in the carriage alone with her, where she might 
perchance embarrass him by inconvenient questions. 



Empresses of France 

All these mancEuvres did not escape Josephine's keen 
perception ; but she still hoped that the divorce would be 
deferred until the royalties visiting in Paris had departed. 
Napoleon, how^ever, was not inclined to brook further 
delay, for his decision was made, and as Hortense flatly 
refused to be his intermediary, he suddenly resolved to 
break the news to Josephine himself. It was well he 
did so, for by the 30th of November the situation had 
become unbearable, and the tete-a-tete meals silent and 
constrained. At dinner, on that day, Josephine wore a ''^ 
big white poke to conceal the tears which, in spite of 
all her efforts at self-control, coursed down her cheeks 
throughout the meal. The Emperor himself broke the 
silence only once, to ask an attendant a question con- 
cerning the weather, and when he and Josephine passed 
into the drawing-room, where they generally took coffee, 
he abruptly began : 

"Josephine, my good Josephine, you know how I 
have loved you," and then, gazing into her grief-stricken 
face, he continued : " Josephine, my destiny is more 
powerful than my will, my dearest affections must be 
sacrificed to the interests of France ! " 

This was enough; poor Josephine understood that 
the die had been cast, and, falling to the floor, she lay 
there in a semi-conscious state, moaning from time to 
time : " No, no, I cannot survive it ! " Napoleon, 
meantime, quickly opened the door into the neighbouring 
room, and, calling in the Prefect of the Palace, bade him 
carry the Empress down to her room by the private 
staircase, so that she might receive the care her condition 
required. But as the Prefect feared to trip and fall in 
the narrow stairway, the Emperor had to summon his 
secretary also, who held a light while Napoleon and the 
Prefect bore Josephine away. 

114 




Josephine's Bedroom at Fontainebleau. 



Josephine 



When they had gently laid her down upon her bed, 
summoned her women, and seen the first signs of return- 
ing consciousness, the Emperor dragged the Prefect 
away, and in his perturbation confided his secret to him, 
saying : " The interests of France and of my dynasty 
have wrung my heart ; divorce has become an imperative 
duty, I am all the more grieved by the scene which 
Josephine has just made, as Hortense must have told 
her, already three days ago, of the unhappy obligation 
which condemns me to part with her. I pity her from 
the depths of my heart; but I thought her stronger- 
minded than that, and was not prepared for such a 
paroxysm of grief." 

After sending for the doctor, Cambaceres, and Fouche, 
Napoleon had an interview with Hortense, in which he 
coldly informed her that, his mind being fully made up 
concerning the divorce, tears and lamentations would 
■prove of no avail. Hurt by his tone, Hortense haughtily 
retorted that he would be troubled by no such demon- 
strations on their part, adding : " The Empress will 
most assuredly submit to your wishes. She will descend 
from the throne, as she ascended it, at your request. 
Her children, content to lay aside a greatness which has 
never made them happy, will willingly consecrate their 
lives to the consolation of the best and tenderest of 
mothers." 

Reassured concerning the outcome of the affair, 
Napoleon now allowed his stepdaughter to see his un- 
doubted grief at parting with Josephine. He implored her 
not to forsake him, but to remain with him, were it only 
for the sake of her children, whose future he promised to 
assure, and sadly added : " However great this cruel sac- 
rifice may be for both parties, we must carry it out with 
the dignity which circumstances require." 

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Empresses of France 

The last night of November was equally troubled for 
both their Imperial Majesties, although spent apart ; but 
while Napoleon kept his own counsel after the first 
emotions were passed, Josephine confided her sorrows to 
all her ladies, uttering no reproaches, but bewailing her 
sad fate, and finding no consolation save in the thought 
that the separation grieved Napoleon also. This convic- 
tion, strengthened by all she saw and heard, and the 
tender sympathy of Hortense and of all her household, 
proved the Empress' main support during the ensuing 
fortnight, in which, in spite of all that had occurred, she 
kept hoping that Napoleon might still retract his deci- 
sion. But although the coming event was known to so 
many persons within the Palace, it was not yet openly dis- 
cussed, and, as far as the royal guests could perceive, all 
went on as before. However broken-hearted, Josephine 
had to appear in public as usual, and play the part as- 
signed her, gracing a Te Deum at Notre Dame, the open- 
ing of the Legislative Assembly, a gala dinner, and a huge 
ball. At the latter entertainment, the Emperor ordered 
that she should no longer be met at the door of the City 
Hall as usual ; and the omission of this ceremony, 
although the officials thoughtfully tried to disguise it as 
much as possible, inflicted a cruel stab upon Josephine's 
sensitive heart. She felt it so keenly that she lacked 
the courage to appear at the next court function, and 
was also absent from the state reception in the throne 
room on the loth. Her last public appearance was at a 
fete at Gros Bois on the I2th of December, and, as 
Napoleon had announced that he meant to enjoy him- 
self, every one tried to contribute to the gaiety of the 
occasion. But the sight of Josephine's gentle, woebe- 
gone face checked all hilarity, and the entertainment 
proved a failure as far as real enjoyment was concerned. 

ii6 



Josephi 



ne 

Meantime, Eugene had arrived in Paris, and, learning 
from Hortense how matters stood, offered to resign all 
to follow his mother. But both she and Napoleon in- 
sisted upon his retaining the viceroyalty of Italy, the 
Emperor telling him plainly that he depended upon him 
to take care of the longed-for son and " make a man of 
him " should he (Napoleon) be unable to do so himself. 
Thus appealed to by beings almost equally dear, Eugene 
yielded ; but, keenly alive to his mother's suffering, tact- 
fully advised Napoleon to spare her as much pain as pos- 
sible by acting promptly. Thus adjured. Napoleon called 
a family council at nine p.m. in the Grand Salon of the 
Tuileries, on Friday, December 15, 1809. It con- 
sisted of his mother ; Louis, Jerome, and Murat, with 
their wives ; the Queen of Spain, Prince Eugene, Cam- 
baceres, and Count Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely. 
When all were assembled. Napoleon entered the room, 
leading Josephine by the hand, and producing a paper, 
read the following statement with tears in his eyes : — 

" My cousin. Prince Archchancellor, I sent you a 
sealed letter to-day, bidding you come here, so that I 
might inform you of a resolve made by me and by the 
Empress, my very dear wife. I am very glad that the 
kings, queens, and princesses, my brothers, sisters, 
brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, and my stepson, — who 
has become my son by adoption, — as well as my 
mother, should hear what I have to tell you. 

" The policy of my kingdom, the interests and needs 
of all my people — which have constantly guided all my 
actions — demand that I leave the throne, upon which 
Providence has seated me, to children who will inherit 
my love for my people. For several years past, I have 
abandoned all hope of having children by my marriage 
with my well-beloved wife, the Empress Josephine. It 

117 



Empresses of France 

is that fact which compels me to sacrifice my dearest 
affections, to heed nothing but the welfare of the state, 
and to ask for the dissolution of my marriage. 

" Having reached the age of forty, I can still cherish 
the hope of living long enough to train in my ways and 
modes of thought the children which Providence may 
yet vouchsafe me. God knows what pangs such a re- 
solve has cost me, but no sacrifice is above my courage, 
when it is clearly demonstrated to me that it will tend to 
the welfare of France. I must add that, far from ever 
having any cause of complaint, I can only praise the 
love and devotion of my dearly beloved wife. She has 
embellished fifteen years of my life, and the recollection 
of these years will ever be engraved in my heart. 
Crowned by my hand, I wish her to retain the rank and 
title of Empress, but I am desirous, above all, that she 
should never doubt my feelings for her, and that she 
should ever consider me her best and dearest friend." 

This speech, delivered with moving eloquence, so 
overcame poor Josephine, that she vainly tried to read 
the paper she held, — which she finally handed to Count 
Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely, who read as follows : 

"With the permission of my august and beloved 
spouse, I must declare that, as I can no longer cherish 
any hope of having children to satisfy the demands of 
his policy and the interests of France, I pride myself 
upon giving him the greatest proof of love and self-sac- 
rifice that has ever been given on earth. I owe every- 
thing to his aff^ection, his hand crowned me, and on this 
throne I have received naught but tokens of love and 
devotion from the French people. I believe I am prov- 
ing my gratitude for all these sentiments, by consenting 
to the dissolution of a marriage, which is henceforth con- 
sidered an obstacle to the welfare of France, and which 

ii8 







H 



Josephine 



deprives it of the happiness of being some day governed 
by the offspring of the great man, whom Providence has 
so evidently called to efface the harm done by a fearful 
revolution, and to restore the altar, throne, and social 
order. But the dissolution of my marriage will in no- 
wise change the feelings of my heart. The Emperor 
will ever have in me his best friend. I know what vio- 
lence this deed, enforced by his policy and by such 
weighty interests, does to his heart, but we both glory in 
the sacrifice we are making to the welfare of our 
country." 

Cambaceres, who had drawn up the necessary paper, 
handed the pen to Napoleon, who signed without a 
word. Then Josephine, supported by Hortense, who, 
according to different accounts, was garbed in black or 
white satin like her mother, advanced to sign in her 
turn. The tension of this moment was so great that 
Eugene fainted ; but Napoleon gently kissed his wife and, 
helped by Hortense, led her back to her apartments, 
whither Eugene had been carried, and where she was 
now left to the care of her children and attendants. 

That night, after the Emperor had gone to bed, his 
door was suddenly opened, and after a moment's hesita- 
tion, Josephine rushed to his bedside and, sobbing con- 
vulsively, clasped both arms around his neck. Signing 
to his servant to leave them alone together, Napoleon 
drew Josephine to his heart, and after they had spent 
some time weeping in each other's arms, he finally said : 
" Come, my good Josephine, be more reasonable. 
Come, be brave, be brave, I will always be your friend." 

After they had thus taken affectionate leave of each 
other, and the Empress had gone, a servant found Napo- 
leon buried in the bed-clothes, evidently a prey to violent 
grief. But no other word was spoken that night, al- 

119 



Empresses of France 

though the Emperor could not sleep, and lay still, watch- 
ing for the dawn, which was to herald their final 
separation. But all was bustle and confusion in Jose- 
phine's apartments, where her women prepared for im- 
mediate departure, while Hortense and Eugene lavished 
consolations upon their unhappy mother. At eleven. 
Prince Eugene had to leave the Empress to attend a Senate 
meeting, where Napoleon's and Josephine's papers were 
again read. Then the formal request for a divorce was 
submitted to the Senate, and, after a dignified speech by 
Regnault de St. Jean d'Angely, Eugene expressed his 
own and his family's gratitude to the Emperor, their 
conviction that heirs of his body were indispensable to 
the interests of France, and concluded by saying that 
the tears which this sacrifice had wrung from the Em- 
peror, sufficed for his mother's glory. 

The matter was voted upon that self-same day, and 
the divorce pronounced by eighty votes against seven. 
The Senate not only decreed that the ex-Empress should 
be allowed two million francs annual income, but voted 
the following flattering address : 

" Madame, Your Imperial and Royal Majesty has 
just made the greatest of sacrifices to France. History 
will for ever bear it in mind. The august wife of the 
greatest of monarchs could not associate herself to his 
immortal glory by a more heroic act of self-sacrifice. 
The French have long revered your virtues, madame, 
they prize the touching kindness which inspires all your 
words as it directs all your deeds. France will admire 
your sublime self-sacrifice, and will award to your Impe- 
rial and Royal Majesty the undying homage of its grati- 
tude, love, and respect." 

At four o'clock that afternoon, the Emperor suddenly 
seized his hat, and bidding his secretary follow him, went 

I20 



Josephine 



rapidly down the private staircase to Josephine's apart- 
ment. Hearing her husband enter, Josephine fell upon 
his neck, sobbing convulsively. He kissed her several 
times, then, seeing she had fainted, placed her upon the 
lounge, and bidding his secretary, Meneval, remain w^ith 
her until he could bring tidings of her recovery, passed 
hastily out of the palace and drove off to the Trianon, 
where he had decided to spend the first days of his 
widowerhood. 

Josephine, upon recovering her senses under the ten- 
der ministrations of her attendants, seized Meneval's 
hands, crying : " Tell the Emperor not to forget me. 
Assure him of an affection which will endure whatever 
happens. Promise to give me news of him as soon as 
you reach the Trianon, and see that he writes to me." 
But, when the secretary had gone, she had to prepare to 
leave the palace in her turn. Clad in sombre garments, 
and closely veiled, she passed slowly out to her carriage, 
her sobs preventing her speaking a word of farewell to 
the sorrowing attendants, who had assembled to show 
their beloved mistress, for the last time, every token of 
loving and respectful sympathy. 

Escorted by Hortense and Eugene, Josephine left the 
palace of the Tuileries and drove to Malmaison, which 
seemed cheerless enough, for the rain was falling and 
the ground was all strewn with dead leaves. The first 
hours spent at Malmaison were most trying, for the 
Empress constantly spoke of Napoleon, weeping pro- 
fusely meanwhile. But, in spite of her sorrow, she 
uttered no word of reproach against her husband, and 
seemed touchingly grateful when she received the few 
lines he sent her from the Trianon. An almost sleep- 
less night was followed by another equally mournful 
day, although Josephine received numerous visitors •> 

121 



Empresses of France 

for the courtiers, knowing such an act of deference 
would please the Emperor, crowded around the Empress 
with even more respect than usual. Josephine, ever 
sociable and kindly, received them with all her custom- 
ary gentleness, concealing the ravages of grief under a 
broad-brimmed bonnet. She was evidently touched by 
all these tokens of love and sympathy, and the official 
newspaper having made the divorce public, rejoiced to 
see how universally she was regretted. 

On the 1 8th of December, Napoleon made his first 
call upon his divorced wife, who, making a great effort, 
received him with apparent calm. They met like ordi- 
nary acquaintances, shaking hands, and after a brief, 
constrained conversation in the presence of witnesses, 
parted again in the same formal way. But that even- 
ing Napoleon wrote an affectionate letter to Josephine, 
assuring her of his undying affection, and imploring her 
to be brave and happy. This tender epistle was followed 
by others, so full of solicitude, that Madame de Remusat 
begged her husband to prevail upon Napoleon to moder- 
ate the expression of his love and regret, for the sake of 
the unhappy wife who could not bear such an emotional 
strain. 

The following Sunday brought another brief call from 
Napoleon, and as the Empress received him formally at 
the door, he begged her to accompany him for a little 
walk. They strolled about together, and sat for awhile 
side by side on a garden bench ; but the proprieties were 
carefully observed, for they constantly remained in full 
view of the drawing-room, where the court ladies and 
gentlemen had meantime assembled. This was a doubly 
happy day for Josephine, because Napoleon invited her 
to visit him at Trianon on the morrow. There, he 
detained her to dinner, treating her with such kindly 

122 



Josephine 



ease that the tie between them seemed stronger than 
ever. This Christmas dinner, — the last meal they 
were ever to take together, — therefore proved quite 
happy to Josephine ; but when Napoleon wrote on the 
morrow that he had returned to the Tuileries, where he 
felt very lonely, she again wept bitter tears, because 
she no longer possessed the privilege of hastening thither 
to comfort him. 

Although his letters now played a little less ruthlessly 
with her tender sensibilities, they continued quite fre- 
quent and sympathetic, urging her to see her friends 
as much as possible, and visit her plants. Besides he 
gave her other tokens of affectionate interest, for, after 
his visit on the 7th of January, he allowed her consider- 
able sums for improvements and new furnishings at 
Malmaison, again paid her debts, and announced that he 
had ordered a magnificent set of dishes for her use. 
He also arranged that she should not be neglected, for 
at his first levee he asked sundry of his officers when 
they had last seen the Empress, and urged them all to 
visit her often. Such requests were equivalent to com- 
mands, so the road to Malmaison was well travelled, in 
spite of the inclement winter weather, and none could 
help commenting upon Josephine's gentle resignation, 
and her utter devotion to the man whose rooms she 
preserved just as he had left them, carefully dusting 
them with her own hands. 

The ex-Empress was, however, an old story ; the 
most interesting topic of conversation being, of course, 
the coming sovereign. Josephine's civil and religious 
marriages had both been annulled : the former by the 
Senate, as we have seen, and the latter by the metro- 
politan clergy, who now declared the marriage in the 
Tuileries, on the eve of the coronation, invalid, because 

123 



Empresses of France 

Napoleon had yielded only to necessity, and because the 
parish priest had not witnessed the ceremony. The 
religious marriage was broken under this specious pre- 
text, and through the metropolitan clergy, only because 
Napoleon knew it would be useless to apply to the Pope. 

Hitherto, Josephine's position had been comparatively 
easy to bear, for she was surrounded by her children and 
friends, visited by the Emperor, and received innumer- 
able tokens of respect and sympathy. Besides, there 
was solace in the thought that the Emperor was lonely 
and missed her, for as yet no one had come to take the 
place she had left vacant. She knew, however, that 
this state of affairs could not endure, and, strange to 
relate, began to take a lively interest in the discussions 
concerning a new marriage. 

Even before the announcement of the divorce. Napo- 
leon had taken measures to secure a Russian princess ; 
but Josephine so dreaded his marriage to a person of 
different religion, that she confided to Madame de 
Metternich that they were all in favour of an Austrian 
alliance, and felt sure the Emperor would prefer it 
too, were he only sure his suit would be accepted at 
Vienna. Madame de Metternich immediately wrote 
to her husband, who cleverly negotiated this alliance. 
The Emperor, meantime, held a council in the Tui- 
leries, on the 21st of January, where he artfully 
made it appear that he could have his pick among the 
marriageable princesses, but considered an Austrian alli- 
ance best for the good of the country. All naturally 
coincided in this decided opinion, and as few difficulties 
were encountered, the marriage contract was signed at 
the Tuileries, on the 7th of February, 18 10. 

Malmaison had proved so cold and uncomfortable, 
that Josephine had obtained Napoleon's permission to 

124 



Josephine 



remove to the Elysee at the end of January. There, 
she took leave of Eugene, who went back to Italy, 
whence he was soon summoned to return for the wed- 
ding of Napoleon and Marie Louise. Josephine, little 
suspecting how soon her son would come back, felt his 
departure deeply ; still, she was a little less lonely in the 
capital than at Malmaison, although she did not see 
the Emperor as frequently as she had hoped, and their 
interviews grew more and more constrained. The 
coming Empress and wedding festivities were the theme 
of all conversations, a subject naturally painful to Jose- 
phine, who was glad to wend her way back to Malmaison 
in the beginning of March. She was then so exhausted 
by past emotions that she said : " It seems to me 
sometimes that I am dead, and that there remains to 
me only a vague faculty of feeling that I no longer 
exist." 

Josephine, however, remained a very short time at 
Malmaison. This place was so near Paris, that fearing 
the echoes of the wedding festivities would annoy her. 
Napoleon cleverly suggested she should visit her castle 
at Navarre, near Evreux. Josephine obeyed, although 
reluctant to go so far away from her children, whose 
presence was required at the wedding . There, Hor- 
tense helped carry the new Empress' train, and it is 
no wonder if her tears did drop upon the gorgeous fabric, 
as rumour declares, for she must have been vividly re- 
minded of the coronation service where she had performed 
a similar office for her beloved mother. Eugene, too, 
witnessed the ceremony with secret pangs, and as soon 
as the festivities were over, hastened off to Navarre. 
There he found his mother a prey to great depression, 
and almost blind from the tears which had flowed so 
persistently during the last few months. In fact, her 

125 



Empresses of France 

thoughts were constantly with her rival, and as one at- 
tendant said : " One must be a woman and put one's self 
in the Empress' place to understand all she felt ! " 

But, in spite of neglect, — the inevitable concomitant 
of her position, — and small slights which she felt very 
keenly, Josephine tried to be as brave as she could, and 
sought distraction in planning improvements in her new 
and by no means comfortable home. Still, her hard situ- 
ation was made even more cruel by malicious reports from 
court, stating that the new Empress was so jealous that 
Josephine would soon be deprived of her title, and what 
she dreaded most of all, exiled from France. 

The discomfort of her present abode and an ardent wish 
to draw nearer Paris made Josephine crave Napoleon's 
permission to return to Malmaison, a favour which he 
granted officially, and which she acknowledged in a letter 
wherein she addressed the Emperor as a vassal, and humbly 
begged for some token of his continued regard. This 
touching missive called forth a friendly answer from Com- 
piegne, where Napoleon was concluding his honeymoon, 
in which he gently chided her for addressing him in such 
a formal way, assured her his sentiments were quite un- 
changed, and concluded with the words : " I leave you 
to judge which one of us is the most friendly, you or I. 
Good-bye, my dear, keep well and be just to me and to 
yourself." 

This letter not only put an end to Josephine's stiff 
formality, but enabled her henceforth to write to him 
almost as freely as before. Her return to Malmaison 
was also less painful than she expected, for Napoleon 
had already departed with Marie Louise, and, as the court 
was deserted, the ex-Empress had no dearth of company. 
Besides, she was busy preparing to visit some mineral 
baths, and as the Emperor preferred that she should not 

126 



Josephine 



frequent any place where they had been seen together, she 
went to Aix in Savoy, instead of Aix-la-Chapelle. It 
was almost on the eve of her departure for that place, 
that she had the mingled pain and pleasure of another 
brief but friendly visit from Napoleon, the first since his 
second marriage. 

Josephine was joined at Aix by Hortense, who had 
parted with her husband for ever, Napoleon acquitting 
her from all blame, and promising her his protection. 
But Hortense was so sad that her society would have 
greatly depressed Josephine, had they not both been 
cheered by the presence of the young Count of Flahaut, 
who soon fell deeply in love with the younger woman. 
She returned his affections, and deeming herself free from 
all other ties, although no divorce had been pronounced, 
entered into a secret connection with him a few months 
later. They had a son, born in October, i8i i, who was 
brought up by his paternal grandmother, and who subse- 
quently became a prominent figure at the court of his 
half-brother. Napoleon III., where he was known as the 
Duke de Morny. 

While at Aix, Josephine also received a visit from 
Eugene, and hearing his wife was too delicate to travel 
more than necessary, went with him to see her at Geneva. 
While there, she made an excursion on Lake Bourget, 
where, owing to a sudden squall, she found herself in 
danger of drowning in a very small lake, which. Napoleon 
said, " would have been a dreadful fate for a dweller of 
the Ocean Islands." His letters, Josephine's greatest 
pleasure, grew less and less frequent, however, as time 
went on, and Josephine sadly foresaw the moment when 
they would cease entirely. 

After spending nearly two months in Switzerland, where 
she greatly enjoyed the beauties of Nature, and made an 

127 



Empresses of France 

excursion on the Mer de Glace at Chamounix, Josephine 
asked Napoleon's permission to return to the Elysee or 
Malmaison. He suggested that she should rather visit 
her son in Italy ; but as he offered no objection to her 
living at Navarre, she elected to spend the winter there 
instead. The Emperor refused Josephine's request to 
dw^ell near Paris, only because Marie Louise w^as very 
jealous, and he was reluctant to annoy her now that she 
was in an interesting condition. Josephine, therefore, 
only stopped twenty-four hours at Malmaison, where the 
Emperor sent his servant Constant, saying : " Tell the 
Empress I am well and that I desire her to be happy." 
This confidential servant was, thenceforth, a trusted 
messenger between them, for he was equally devoted to 
them both, and could answer all the questions either 
cared to ask. 

This jealousy on the part of Marie Louise was both 
flattering and annoying to Josephine, for while it tickled 
her vanity that a wife of eighteen should consider her a 
dangerous rival, she would fain have made friends with 
her successor so as to see her former husband more fre- 
quently, and instruct the new wife how best to please him 
and minister to his comfort. Napoleon, too, would have 
liked to see these two women friends ; but Marie Louise 
stubbornly resisted all his efforts to bring them together, 
wept whenever the Emperor mentioned Josephine's name, 
and showed so great an aversion to her presence in the 
neighbourhood, that he soon recognised the futility of 
trying to induce them to be friends. 

Josephine's winter at Navarre was very cheerless, in 
spite of the society of devoted friends, who tried to en- 
liven her by walks, drives, music, fancy-work, reading, 
plays, and animated conversation. Josephine, grateful for 
their efforts, strove to shake off her depression and take 

128 



Josephine 



an interest in various charitable institutions which she 
founded. She also tried to give pleasure to her friends by 
organising little parties, among others a New Year's Day 
lottery, where, by a clever arrangement, each guest re- 
ceived a gift chosen by the ex-Empress with particular 
regard to the recipient's tastes or needs. 
— -Josephine was loved at Navarre, as everywhere else, 
so her birthday on the 19th of March was celebrated 
with as much rejoicing as if she had still been on the 
throne. Not only did the common people present her 
with their choicest flowers on this occasion, but her 
attendants surprised her with a pleasant entertainment, 
little suspecting that her rival was even then in the 
throes of childbirth, and the Paris churches full of 
devout people praying for the safe advent of the long- 
desired heir. 

The news of the birth of the King of Rome was, 
however, published far and wide by salvos of artillery 
and by the signal telegraph, so it soon reached Josephine 
at Navarre, where she warmly exclaimed : " The Em- 
peror must be very happy, and I, too, rejoice over his 
happiness, rejoice to see the wishes of the French ful- 
filled at last ! I am reaping the fruit of my painful 
sacrifice, since it insures the prosperity of France. I 
regret being so far away from Paris. If I were at Mal- 
maison I would have frequent and speedy tidings." 

But, although tears dimmed her eyes while she spoke, 
she immediately began to plan how they could celebrate 
the great event in the most suitable way, and, having 
given the necessary orders, wrote a long letter to the 
Emperor to congratulate him upon the birth of a son. 

Eugene, who had been summoned to Paris to be one 
of the required official witnesses of the birth of the 
Emperor's heir, left immediately after the event for 
VOL. I. — 9 129 



Empresses of France 

Navarre, and the Emperor said : " You are going to see 
your mother, Eugene; tell her that I am sure she will 
rejoice more than any one else over my happiness. I 
would already have written to her, had I not been ab- 
sorbed by the pleasure of gazing at my son. I tear 
myself away from him only for indispensable duties. 
But this evening I will fulfil the sweetest of all, by 
writing to Josephine." 

True to that promise, he wrote to Josephine, sending 
the following lines by a special messenger : " My dear, 
I have received your letter, and thank you. My son is 
large and very healthy. I hope he will thrive. He has 
my chest, my mouth, and my eyes. I trust he will be 
equal to his destiny. I am always well pleased with 
Eugene, who has never caused me any sorrow." This 
letter, wherein her son was mentioned as affectionately 
as his own, overjoyed Josephine, who rewarded the 
messenger by giving him a magnificent diamond ring. 
According to other authorities, however. Napoleon's 
letter concluded with the still more flattering sentence : 
" This infant, in concert with our Eugene, will con- 
solidate my happiness and that of France." 

At the ball given at Navarre in honour of the new- 
born King of Rome, Josephine again decked herself in 
a beautiful gown, all shot with silver, wore a magnificent 
diadem, and did the honours of the evening with her 
wonted grace and affability, thinking of nothing but the 
entertainment of her guests. Besides, her sojourn in this 
country residence during the remainder of that spring and 
summer was enlivened by frequent visits from Eugene, 
who enjoyed rural life, and was very glad to cast aside all 
etiquette, playfully remarking : " 'T is a hard trade, that 
of king, when one has not been brought up to it ! " 

Although many people fancied that Marie Louise 
130 



Josephine 



would cease to be jealous of Josephine now that she 
was the mother of the Emperor's heir, she still refused 
to see her on her return to Malmaison in Septem- 
ber. There the ex-Empress was happy in revisiting 
her old haunts, and delighted in the company of her 
two grandsons, who often stayed with her, and whom 
she fairly idolised. 

To gratify her oft-expressed wish, the Emperor also 
arranged that she should see the King of Rome at the 
Trianon. This visit was kept secret, however, as any 
mention of Josephine was sure to produce a fit of sulki- 
ness on the part of the child's mother. It was so success- 
ful, however, that it seems to have been renewed from 
time to time, until the child was old enough to speak. 
He was evidently fascinated by Josephine, and once 
begged her to come and live with him. When she sadly 
answered that she could not do so, he wonderingly in- 
quired : " Why not, since both papa and I wish it ? " 

Josephine celebrated her birthday at Malmaison with 
her daughter and grandsons, and shortly after received 
Napoleon's last visit before his fatal Russian campaign. 
Hearing her son was to take part in this expedition, 
Josephine now journeyed to Milan, so as to be present 
at her daughter-in-law's fourth confinement. This visit, 
however joyful otherwise, proved full of sad reminis- 
cences for Josephine, who was not sorry to leave for 
Aix in Savoy. There she remained some time, and 
then visited the little castle of Pregny near Geneva, 
which she purchased for the sake of its fine view of 
Mont Blanc. 

On arriving at Malmaison in October, just after the 
Malet conspiracy, she was unpleasantly impressed by the 
general atmosphere of discontent and failure, which 
seemed so different from anything she had hitherto 

131 



Empresses of France 

known. But although it roused some apprehensions in 
her heart, she was greatly reassured when Hortense told 
her that she had seen all the Emperor's letters to Marie 
Louise, wherein he spoke most encouragingly of their 
situation, and did not seem at all dismayed by the dis- 
asters of the Russian campaign. 

Still, news of death, sickness, and disaster constantly 
reached her by indirect means, and such tidings, coupled 
with a dearth of letters from the Emperor or from 
Eugene, gradually opened her eyes to the truth, and 
showed her plainly that the Emperor was no longer 
considered infallible as of old, nor worshipped as a god. 
She felt, however, that his presence might still retrieve 
everything, and was, therefore, greatly relieved when she 
heard that he had returned, in the middle of the night, 
on the 1 8th of December. 

The year 1813 beginning on a Friday, the supersti- 
tious Josephine began to anticipate double misfortunes, 
which soon came thick and fast. Not only were the 
worst tidings from Russia confirmed, but new war clouds 
loomed up on the horizon. Indeed, the only bright spot 
was Eugene's promotion to the chief command of the 
absent army. But although many people wore mourn- 
ing, the Emperor wished the capital to appear as gay as 
usual, and made Hortense entertain, notwithstanding her 
poor health, which drove her to Aix in Savoy early in 
the summer. She left her children with Josephine, and 
journeyed thither with a friend, who, missing her foot- 
ing, fell into a deep chasm and was drowned in a moun- 
tain stream. This sad accident so affected Hortense's 
already shattered nerves, that Josephine grew very 
anxious about her, as well as about Napoleon, who, 
after the victories of Liitzen, Bauzen, and Dresden, 
suffered an awful defeat at Leipzig. 

132 



Joseph! 



ine 



A few days after his return from this disastrous cam- 
paign, Napoleon sent his secretary to Josephine, who 
wept with pity when told that the Emperor was so wor- 
ried and overworked, that he scarcely allowed himself 
three hours of sleep. In fact, as the secretary said. 
Napoleon was so weary physically, that at times even 
his mental energy flagged, and he no longer showed his 
former confidence and promptness of decision. But 
while many were already preparing to desert him, others 
rallied more closely around him, and among them Louis 
Bonaparte. This act of brotherly loyalty greatly pleased 
both Josephine and Hortense, although the latter was 
now separated from her hypochondriac husband for ever. 

Just before beginning his campaign against the in- 
vaders. Napoleon paid his last visit to Josephine at Mal- 
maison. On this occasion they wept together, and the 
Emperor bitterly cried : " Ah ! I have been as fortunate 
as ever was man on the face of this earth ; but in this 
hour, when a storm is gathering over my head, I have 
not, oh, Josephine, in the wide world, any but you whom 
I can wholly trust ! " This confession, on the part of 
so confident a man as Napoleon, increased Josephine's 
alarms to such an extent that her health suffered greatly, 
and one of her ladies, describing her state of anxiety at 
this time, says : " I have seen her face flush or pale, her 
eyes shine or grow dim, as each day's mail brought sad 
or reassuring news. I myself have witnessed the dis- 
consolate sight of her sleepless nights, her terrible dreams. 
I have seen her tears flow, and mine have mingled with 
them. I have seen her Majesty spend whole days buried 
in mournful thoughts." 

No wonder poor Josephine was sad, for things were 
going from bad to worse, and even Napoleon's letters 
were far from reassuring, for he was so discouraged 

133 



Empresses of France 

that he wrote from Brienne : " To me death would 
now be a blessing. But I would fain once more see 
Josephine ! " 

The news from Paris was equally disquieting, and 
when Marie Louise prepared to leave the capital for 
Blois, Hortense advised Josephine to retire to Navarre. 
The same day, therefore, both Empresses left home, flee- 
ing from the enemy; but while Marie Louise was ac- 
companied by her son and followed by many courtiers, 
Josephine was comparatively alone. She was so reluc- 
tant to leave at all, that sights and sounds of battle were 
already perceptible on all sides when she entered her 
carriage. A false alarm that the Cossacks were com- 
ing caused great terror to her and to her attendants, and 
when it was over she sadly cried : " Surely, surely Na- 
poleon is ignorant of what is passing within sight of the 
gates of Paris ; or if he knows, how cruel must be the 
thoughts which now agitate his breast ! " 

Hortense, meantime, remained in Paris as long as 
possible, withdrawing to the Trianon only at the last 
minute, and listening from there to the sounds of the 
battle of Paris. It was only when the cannonading ceased, 
and the city surrendered, that she went on to Navarre to 
join her mother. Four days after her arrival there, a 
messenger came in the middle of the night, to announce 
Napoleon's abdication ; but Josephine would not believe 
his tidings, and interrupted him several times, crying: 
" The Emperor lives ; repeat it to me ! " When fully con- 
vinced that Napoleon was still alive, but was to be ban- 
ished to Elba, she rose in haste and ran half-dressed to 
Hortense's apartment, saying : " Ah, Hortense ! how 
unhappy he must be ! What ! They wish to confine 
him in the island of Elba ? If it were not for his wife, 
I would go and shut myself up there with him. It is 

134 



Josephine 



now that it would be sweet to me to be with him, to 
taice half his griefs. No, I have never suffered so much 
from the divorce as now." 

Hortense, deeming it impossible for any Bonaparte to 
remain in France, now began speedy preparations to re- 
move with her children to Martinique ; but, considering 
Marie Louise most to be pitied under the present cir- 
cumstances, went first to visit her at Rambouillet, and offer 
any consolation in her power. To her surprise, however, 
she was very coldly received, and soon after dismissed with 
the remark : " My father is coming, your presence might 
prove importunate." The fact was that Hortense had 
arrived too late, for Marie Louise had already fallen back 
into the dependence and subjection of her early girlhood, 
and ceasing to be Empress of France had become once 
more an Austrian archduchess. 

Hortense, therefore, returned to Navarre, where news 
was anxiously expected, and where Josephine little 
dreamt that the man she still loved, and. would have 
unhesitatingly followed to Elba, had just attempted to 
commit suicide. Even in the midst of the severest 
pains inflicted by poison, he gave a thought to her, 
saying to an attendant : " Let Josephine know that I 
thought of her before quitting life." 

Josephine, who had heard of him on the 8th, longed 
to visit him at Fontainebleau, like the faithful Madame 
Walewska ; and had she been in Marie Louise's place, 
she would undoubtedly have defied everybody, driving 
through Paris in state to join him openly and proudly. 
Four days before his departure for Elba, Napoleon wrote 
that he meant to spend his time henceforth in writing 
history, adding : — 

I have heaped benefits upon millions of ingrates, and thej^ 
have all betrayed me ; yes, all ! I except from this number 

135 



Empresses of France 

the good Eugene, so worthy of you and of me. Adieu, my 

dear Josephine. Be resigned as I am, and never forget him 

who never forgets and will never forget you. Farewell, Josephine. 

(Signed) Napoleon. 

P. S. I expect to hear from you at Elba. I am not very well. 

Napoleon set out for Elba on the 20th of April, 1814, 
and reached his new abode on the 4th of May. Marie 
Louise left France three days later, to wend her way 
toward Vienna; while Josephine returned to Malmaison 
before the end of the month, summoned thither by the 
allied Powers, who showed her and her children every 
mark of respect. 

It was from Malmaison that Josephine wrote Napo- 
leon a long letter, wherein she expressed her sympathy 
in his sorrow over the defection of his marshals, and 
parting with his faithful soldiers. Therein she offered, 
in spite of the divorce, to join him in Elba, if her pres- 
ence could afford him any consolation, and provided she 
was "the only one to fulfil her duty." This letter, like 
many others of hers since given to the public, has un- 
fortunately been tampered with, and is therefore not 
inserted here verbatim ; but however changed the 
phraseology, there is no doubt of Josephine's senti- 
ments. She expressed them freely to all, even to the 
noble visitors who came frequently to Malmaison, in- 
cluding the Emperor Alexander, who at his first visit 
said : " Madame, I burned with a desire to behold you. 
Since I entered France I have never heard your name 
uttered except with blessings. In the cottage and in 
the palace I have collected accounts of your angelic 
goodness, and I do myself a pleasure in thus presenting 
to your Majesty the universal homage of which I am 
the bearer." 

This pretty speech, delivered in a tone of intense 
136 



Josephine 



conviction, by the handsome and powerful ruler who 
had once been her husband's devoted friend, and who 
was even now his most generous foe, could not but 
please Josephine, who received him so charmingly that 
he called again and again, and used all his influence to 
assure her and her children a happy future. Josephine 
now reaped the reward for all her former kindness to 
the royalists. The returning Bourbons, unable to forget 
the benefits she had bestowed upon their party, tried 
to requite them by offering Eugene the post of Con- 
netable, — which he refused, — by giving Hortense the 
title of Duchess of St. Leu, and by assuring to Josephine 
the possession of Malmaison with a suitable income. 

Josephine, ever grateful, graciously expressed her 
thanks to the Czar, giving him the priceless cameo 
which she had received from the Pope at her coronation, 
and requested an audience of Louis XVIIL so that she 
might thank him also for his kindness to her and her 
children. We are told that when she appeared before 
this gouty monarch, her graceful carriage produced so 
favourable an impression upon him, that he actually rose 
to receive her, an act of homage he showed to few, 
owing to his age and infirmities. 

The Czar, having begged permission to see St. Leu, 
Hortense went thither with her mother to receive him 
on the 15th of May. They two showed Alexander the 
grounds, and did the honours so acceptably that he spent 
a charming day. But while Josephine exerted herself to 
please this august guest, the sorrows of the past few 
months, and her continued anxiety for Napoleon, had so 
undermined her health that she once remarked : " I 
don't know what ails me, but I am sometimes overcome 
with such an accession of sadness that I feel I shall 
die." 

137 



Empresses of France 

The next day she was back at Malmaison, where, 
charmingly dressed as usual, she received her guests, and 
strove to smile upon them ; but Madame d'Abrantes, 
touching her hand at leaving, exclaimed in dismay, for 
it was burning with fever. Josephine tried to reassure 
her by saying : "It is nothing, a little fatigue, my usual 
habits have been disturbed. When my own and my 
children's affairs are settled, I will rest." 

On the 23rd of May she entertained the King of 
Prussia and his two sons at dinner, and on the morrow 
received the Russian Grand-Dukes, although she was 
suffering from a heavy cold and so exhausted that she 
had to withdraw several times to take a little rest. Be- 
sides, her illness and depression were increased by an 
article in the paper, stating that the remains of little 
Prince Napoleon Charles were to be removed from 
Notre Dame to an ordinary cemetery. In her anxiety to 
keep this piece of news from Hortense, who, as well as 
Eugene, was quite ill with a cold, she made such exer- 
tions, that her children failed to perceive her precarious 
condition until she had taken to her bed, and the 
physicians pointedly told them she had not long to live. 

Josephine herself so little suspected her illness was 
fatal, that when she heard the Czar was coming to 
dinner, she insisted upon donning her prettiest pink 
wrapper so as to receive him suitably. A messenger 
having failed to meet and stop this august guest, Hor- 
tense and Eugene did the honours of their mother's 
house, while the Czar expressed deep sympathy, sharing 
their anxieties in the friendliest way, and promising to 
send frequently to inquire for the invalid. 

Josephine, meantime, was already failing fast, talking 
to herself, when half asleep, about " Bonaparte," " Elba," 
and " Marie Louise," which plainly indicated that her 

138 



Josephine 



mind dwelt incessantly upon her main sources of grief. 
But when roused, she was as gentle and thoughtful as 
usual, and when told to prepare for death on Pentecost 
Sunday, she confessed, received the Sacrament, and after 
embracing and blessing her children, quietly said : " At 
least I shall die regretted. I have always desired the wel- 
fare of France, and I have done all that lay in my power 
to contribute to it. I can truthfully say to you who are 
present in this my dying hour, that Napoleon's first wife 
never caused a tear to flow." 

Then, asking for Napoleon's picture, she kissed it, 
and, according to some authorities, held it to her breast 
while she prayed : " O God, watch over Napoleon 
while he remains in the desert of this world. Alas ! 
though he has been guilty of great misdeeds, has he not 
expiated them by great suffering ? Just God, Thou 
hast looked into his heart, and hast seen by how ardent 
a desire for useful and durable improvements he was 
animated. Deign to approve my last petition, and may 
this image of my husband bear witness that my latest 
wish and my latest prayer were for him and for my 
children." Hortense having fainted, Eugene supported 
his dying mother alone, until she passed away at noon 
on the 29th of May, 18 14, at the age of fifty-one. 

Her death, occurring just four weeks after Napoleon's 
arrival at Elba, created very little stir in France, the of- 
ficial newspaper merely announcing that : " The mother 
of Prince Eugene had died at noon in her castle at Mal- 
maison, in consequence of an illness which first seemed 
a catarrhal fever, and which suddenly assumed such a 
malignant character that the patient succumbed at the 
end of three days. She received with as much piety as 
resignation all the consolations of religion. A few hours 
before her death she took pleasure in dwelling upon the 

139 



Empresses of France 

regrets of the numerous families she had been able to 
oblige, and it seems as if this hope softened her sorrows 
greatly." 

The physicians who attended Josephine in her last ill- 
ness declared, however, that she died of grief over Napo- 
leon's sorrows, for her slight illness would never have 
proved fatal had she not been too broken-hearted to 
resist. But while many mourned, none regretted that 
she was taken, for she was thus spared the sorrows and 
agitations which would else have embittered her old age. 
Had she lived even one day longer, it would only have 
been to see France sign a humiliating treaty, whereby 
it renounced all the advantages won by Napoleon at the 
cost of so many precious lives. 

Josephine's body was exposed from the day of her 
death to that of her interment on June 2nd, and visited 
by about twenty thousand persons. Her funeral was 
imposing, though simple, her grandchildren being chief 
mourners, because Eugene was too ill to attend. Many 
noted persons were present, however, besides the repre- 
sentatives of the Allies, and the procession closed with 
two thousand of the poor who had long lived upon her 
bounty. The church at Reuil whose bells could be heard 
so clearly at Malmaison, was chosen as Josephine's last 
resting-place, and her body still lies there, in the pedestal 
of Castellier's simple monument, which bears the brief 
inscription : 

TO JOSEPHINE 

EUGENE AND HORTENSE 

l8z5 

Many touching tributes were paid to the ex-Empress, 
the Czar saying : " She is no more ; that woman whom 
France named the beneficent, that angel of goodness is 
no more. Those who have known Josephine can never 

140 



Josephine 



forget her. She dies regretted by her offspring, her 
friends, her contemporaries." 

Her death, however, was also felt to be very oppor- 
tune, not only because it saved her from further dis- 
appointments, but because it relieved the Bourbons, 
whose sentiments were best expressed by the Countess 
du Cayla, Louis XVIII. 's favourite : " Alas ! how in- 
teresting a lady was this Josephine ! What tact, what 
goodness ! How well she knew how to do everything ! 
And she shows her tact and good taste to the last, in 
dying just at this time." 

The Bourbons were, indeed, spared great embarrass- 
ment and considerable expense by not having to provide 
for the woman who had supported so many royalists, 
and who, in spite of her huge income, died, as she had 
lived, deeply in debt. But her children loyally assumed 
all her liabilities, and paid them punctually, so that no 
stigma should rest upon the name of their beloved 
mother. 

Although I can find no record of the way in which 
Napoleon received the tidings of Josephine's demise, he 
once stated that the sudden news of her death was " one 
of the keenest griefs of that fatal year of 1814." When 
he returned to France in 18 15, and met Hortense in the 
Salon of the Tuileries, he bitterly reproached her for 
having remained in France and accepted favours from 
his foes. He then blamed Josephine, too, saying, "he 
could find no excuse for her," and that " her conduct 
had cut him to the heart ! " When Hortense exclaimed, 
sobbing : " Your name was the last word on her dying 
lips!" he coldly retorted: "She should have respected 
it," and declared she should never have asked the king's 
permission to retain her title, for " it was an ineffaceable 
title, beyond the power of any sovereign to annul or con- 

141 



Empresses of France 

fer, having been confirmed by the Pope himself." But 
his temporary irritation soon subsided, and when he had 
forgiven and embraced Hortense, he begged for de- 
tails of Josephine's last hours, adding : " You saw my 
poor Josephine die. In the midst of my disasters her 
death rends my heart." 

Later, upon meeting his favourite physician, Corvisard, 
who was ill at the time of Josephine's death. Napoleon 
reproachfully exclaimed : " You let my poor Josephine 
die without your services." Then sending for the physi- 
cians who had attended her, he questioned them closely, 
and was evidently touched and pleased to see how con- 
stantly he had been in her thoughts, how faithfully she had 
loved him, and to learn the unanimous verdict that she 
had died of grief over his sorrows. 

Although very busy re-organising his government, and 
preparing to fight a new coalition. Napoleon went out to 
Malmaison before the famous " Champ de Mai." Hor- 
tense, who had not entered the house since her mother's 
death, received him in the vestibule. After they had 
visited Josephine's tomb, and all the familiar nooks and 
corners of house and garden, and eaten a cheerless meal 
opposite her empty chair. Napoleon suddenly asked to 
see the room in which she had died. Forbidding Hor- 
tense to accompany him, lest it should move her too 
painfully, he entered it alone, spent some time there, and 
came out with tears in his eyes. 

A few weeks later, after the crushing defeat at Water- 
loo, and his second abdication. Napoleon returned to 
Malmaison, where he remained from the 25th to the 
29th of June, 1 8 15. Hortense was there to receive 
and comfort him, and when he finally departed, she gave 
him a portrait of Josephine, and her own diamond neck- 
lace, fearing lest he might fall short of funds. It was at 

142 



J 



osephine 



Malmaison that Napoleon bade his family a final farewell, 
and, entering his carriage, began the journey which was to 
end on the barren rock of St. Helena. The spot where 
his foot last rested at Malmaison was marked until 1870 
by an eagle and brief inscription, although the estate 
often changed hands during that time. But in 1 861, it 
was purchased by Josephine's grandson, the Emperor Na- 
poleon III., who, remembering perfectly how the rooms 
looked when he was a child, had them carefully restored, 
and turned the whole place into a Napoleonic Museum, 
for the benefit of the state. 

But during the Franco-Prussian war, Malmaison was 
entirely dismantled, and since then most of the grounds 
have been divided up into building lots and sold. For 
years Josephine's old home bore few signs of her sojourn 
in it ; but it is now again being restored as a museum, 
and the mere name of Malmaison always calls up a grace- 
ful Creole figure, strolling under the trees, and taking a 
tender interest in all the flowers which met her eye. 

At St. Helena, Napoleon often mentioned Josephine, 
but whereas in the beginning he said : " She was right, 
my separation from her has brought misfortune upon my 
head ; " he subsequently persuaded himself that the di- 
vorce was none of his doing, and said : " I ought not to 
have allowed myself to be separated from Josephine. 
No, I ought not to have been divorced from her ; that 
was my misfortune." 

In 1820 he proudly declared: "My divorce has no 
parallel in history, for it made no change in the ties 
which united us as a family, and our mutual tenderness 
remained the same. Our separation was a sacrifice 
which reason imposed in the interest of my crown. 
Josephine was devoted to me. She loved me dearly ; 
and nobody ever had my place in her heart ; I was first, 

143 



Empresses of France 

her children came afterward. She was right, for she was 
the one being I loved most, and her remembrance is yet 
all powerful in my heart ! " 

A year later, when very ill and about to die, Napoleon 
saw Josephine in a dream, and upon awakening said to an 
attendant : " I have just seen my darling Josephine, but 
she would not embrace me. She rose just as I tried to 
take her in my arms. She was seated there. It seemed 
to me that I had seen her the day before. She has not 
changed ; always the same, just as devoted to me as ever. 
She told me we should soon meet, never to part again. 
She promised it to me." 

This vision seemed so real to the dying captive, that 
he inquired of the attendant whether he had not seen the 
Empress too, and the last words his watchers could dis- 
tinguish were faint murmurs of " France," " army," and 
" Josephine," his three great passions being still " strong 
in death." 



144 



MARIE LOUISE 

MARIE LOUISE of Austria, second wife of 
Napoleon I., and great-granddaughter of the 
Empress Marie Therese, was born at Vienna, 
December 12, 1791. Like all Austrian archduchesses, 
she was brought up in strict seclusion, and in the utmost 
subjection to parental rule. Although her education 
included fluency in the principal European languages, 
drawing, and music, it excluded all individual thought, 
and kept her in utter ignorance of many practical things, 
under the pretext of preserving her innocence. Not 
only were school books mutilated, all mention of love, 
marriage, and children, for instance, being suppressed, 
but none but female pets were allowed in her neigh- 
bourhood. 

Even in the nursery, however, the name of Napoleon 
was abhorred ; the imperial children invariably selecting 
their ugliest toys to represent this bugaboo, whom they 
subjected in effigy to every torture and indignity infantile 
ingenuity could devise. The court having been obliged 
to flee into Hungary when Marie Louise was about four- 
teen, she naturally hoped her father might triumph, and 
vindictively remarked, concerning Napoleon : " Perhaps 
God has allowed him to advance so far, so that when 
He will have forsaken him, no hope will remain to him." 
The motherless Marie Louise found herself at fifteen 
under the iron rule of a step-mother, only four years her 
senior, who also hated Napoleon with all her heart ; and, 
believing like Marie Louise, that Eckmiihl was an 
VOL. I. — 10 14^ 



Empresses of France 

Austrian victory, the Empress warmly echoed her wish : 
" May he also lose his head ! " 

Instead of perishing, Napoleon continued his victories, 
which culminated with Wagram, in spite of all the 
Austrian courage. An Austrian fanatic's attempt to 
murder him at Schonbrunn, only served to convince 
him more forcibly than ever of the need of an heir, 
and thus actually hastened his preparations for divorce 
and the negotiations for a royal bride. Already, some 
time before, a list had been drawn up of the eighteen 
marriageable European princesses, first among whom 
ranked a sister of the Czar. Her extreme youth, her 
mother's objections to an alliance with Napoleon, and a 
difference in religious belief, might all have been sur- 
mounted, however, had not Napoleon chafed at delay, 
and Metternich dreaded an alliance which would result 
in Austria's subjection. This minister, therefore, re- 
solved to benefit his country by urging, instead, a mar- 
riage with Marie Louise, and he was overjoyed when his 
wife wrote that Josephine, Hortense, and Eugene openly 
advocated the plan. Indeed, Josephine wrote to Madame 
Metternich that she felt sure the Emperor would choose 
the archduchess in preference to any other bride, were 
he sure his suit would be accepted at Vienna, and added 
that she fancied acceptance could hardly be doubtful 
were the Austrian' Emperor only made to see that " his 
ruin and that of his country would be certain if he did 
not consent," 

Josephine's reason for preferring this alliance was a 
superstitious dread of seeing any but a Roman Catholic 
on the throne, and an ardent desire to prevent a more 
serious breach between Napoleon and the Pope. Na- 
poleon, whose vanity was tickled at the prospect of a 
marriage with one of the oldest and proudest families in 

146 



Marie Louise 

Europe, the same which had given the last queen to 
France, nevertheless affected some hesitation, and allud- 
ing to his descent from a race of Italian noblemen, he 
haughtily declared : " I certainly should not contemplate 
this marriage were I not aware that Marie Louise's 
origin is as noble as my own." 

For a time, Josephine's successor was the theme of 
every conversation; but although some of the courtiers 
openly advocated a French bride, it was soon apparent 
that nothing short of a princess would satisfy Napoleon's 
vanity. At a council in the Tuileries, — seventeen 
years to a day after Louis XVL's death, — the Emperor 
made believe discuss the merits of the different alliances, 
showing his own preference so plainly, however, that his 
supposed advisers could only coincide with his opinion 
that an Austrian alliance was preferable to a Russian. 
But Cambaceres objected to this decision, predicted war 
with the rejected party within two years, and privately 
remarked to a friend : " I know that the Emperor is 
familiar with the road to Vienna, but I am not so sure 
he can find his way to St. Petersburg ! " 

The Czar's delay in accepting the Emperor's veiled 
proposals were now seized upon as a pretext to break 
off all negotiations with Russia, and Napoleon abruptly 
asked the Austrian ambassador whether a marriage con- 
tract with Marie Louise could be signed immediately. 
This official, perceiving that any hesitation would be 
construed as an insult by the impatient suitor, signed the 
contract on February 7, 18 10, although he really had 
no power to do so without consulting the Austrian court, 
and although the future bride's consent had, as yet, not 
even been asked. 

In fear and trembling, he despatched a special courier 
to Vienna with a copy of this contract, and an auto- 

147 



Empresses of France 

graph letter from Napoleon, who, it seems, took special 
pains to write as legibly as possible on this occasion. 
But his caligraphy was so poor that the letters had to 
be skilfully touched up by his secretary before they could 
be read by any but the initiated. Francis II., upon receiv- 
ing this communication, declared that, in such a matter 
as this, his duty as a father came before his obligations as 
a sovereign, and he bade Metternich impart the proposal 
to the archduchess Marie Louise, and let her decide with- 
out any reference to him. The clever diplomat therefore 
hastened off to the blue-eyed, flaxen-haired, rosy-cheeked 
archduchess, whose schooling was so perfect, that after 
listening to all he said, she dutifully inquired her father's 
wishes. 

When informed that Francis left the decision entirely 
to her, Marie Louise gently refused to assume such a 
responsibility, and declared her entire readiness to subor- 
dinate all personal wishes to the welfare of her father's 
kingdom. Francis II., perceiving that such an alliance 
would assure at least a few years of peace to Austria, dared 
not refuse, and after reluctantly consenting to sacrifice 
his daughter to his politics, he publicly announced the 
coming marriage. The news created a great sensation in 
Vienna, where, as it guaranteed peace, it was hailed with 
such satisfaction that Metternich was greatly elated, and 
said : " I pity the princess, but let her not forget that it 
is a fine thing to restore peace to such a good people." 

He also wrote to the French capital : " The new Em- 
press will please in Paris, and cannot but please there on 
account of her kindness, her great sweetness and sim- 
plicity. Rather homely than pretty of face, she has a 
fine figure, and when fixed up and properly dressed will 
look quite handsome. I have begged her to engage a 
dancing master as soon as she gets there, and not to 

148 



Marie Louise 

dance until she can do it well. She is most anxious to 
please, and one can always do so when actuated by such 
a desire." 

The marriage was no sooner decided than great prepa- 
rations were begun, and, to insure its lacking naught in 
pomp and solemnity, the same etiquette was observed as 
for the nuptials of the unhappy Marie Antoinette. The 
stir of all these preparations so delighted the pleasure- 
loving Viennese, that the French ambassador wrote 
home : " All glances are fixed almost exclusively upon 
Madame the archduchess. All those who have the 
honour of approaching her are eagerly interviewed, and 
every one is delighted to hear that she is in the happiest 
frame of mind, and makes no attempts to conceal her 
satisfaction at this marriage." The ambassador, know- 
ing also how eagerly all details would be read, then went 
on to describe the princess as a model of gentleness, 
kindness, and modesty, mentioned her tall stature, good 
figure, and robust health, and pronounced her features 
"regular and very sweet." 

One of Marie Louise's first gifts from her imperial 
fiance was a miniature portrait, set in sixteen diamonds, 
valued at five hundred thousand francs, and which, accord- 
ing to Austrian custom, she immediately hung around her 
neck, her only comment in reference to her future bride- 
groom being however an indifferent : " He is not ill- 
looking." Meantime her own portrait was being made 
by two painters at once, so that the most favourable like- 
ness could be forwarded straight to Paris. There it is 
said the Emperor studied it closely, and was greatly 
pleased to recognise the " Hapsburg lip," for he had 
fully determined to marry none but an unmistakable 
descendant of that famous race. 

Although the French ambassador reported Marie 
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Empresses of France 

Louise pleased with the match, it is probable that an 
unsophisticated girl of eighteen, who had hitherto been 
kept in nun-like seclusion, gave the marriage itself little 
thought. Still she was quite dazed by the adulation she 
now received for the first time, and dazzled by the bril- 
liant preparations, which progressed rapidly as soon as the 
Viennese court had been duly satisfied of the legality of 
Josephine's divorce. As it was Lent, a special dispen- 
sation was procured, and the wedding fixed for Sunday, 
March ii, 1810. On the eve of this day, Marie 
Louise, according to custom, solemnly renounced all 
claim to the Austrian crown for herself and her children, 
and two days after the sixteenth anniversary of Jose- 
phine's marriage, she went in state to the Augustine 
Church, where she was married by proxy, in the presence 
of the whole court, and of a special French envoy, the 
Prince of Neufchatel. On this solemn occasion, Marie 
Louise's uncle personated the absent Emperor, to whom 
he immediately wrote a courteous letter, expressing his 
pleasure at having been selected, even temporarily, to fill 
the place of so great a monarch. After the marriage, at 
the official reception, the French ambassador first con- 
gratulated his new mistress, who perfunctorily remarked 
that she would " strive to please the Emperor and to 
contribute to the happiness of the French people, which 
had become her own." 

Glowing descriptions of wedding, reception, and gala 
dinner were immediately forwarded to Paris, to the im- 
patient bridegroom, who read with delight that, " All 
glances were fixed upon the principal actor, the adored 
princess who will soon make our sovereign happy," and 
his love of display was fully gratified by the assurance 
that "the ladies were wearied by the weight of the 
diamonds and pearls which covered their garments." 

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Marie Louise 

On the 13th of March, after a whole day of rest, the 
Empress of the French took tender leave of her family, 
was escorted to the door by her step-mother, and, weep- 
ing unrestrainedly, stepped into the travelling carriage 
which was to bear her away from home. Escorted by a 
body of cuirassiers, and dignitaries in carriages drawn by 
six horses, the new Empress ( in her coach drawn by 
eight steeds) passed through long lines of troops, and 
crossed the bridge, while bands played and cannons 
boomed. But the cortege of eighty-three carriages could 
proceed but slowly, owing to muddy roads, so it took 
some time to reach Linz, where Marie Louise met her 
father, who had come thither to bid farewell to the gentle 
daughter whom the people called : " Louise the Pious." 
This public parting, however, did not satisfy a father's 
heart, and when Marie Louise arrived at St. Poltern in 
Bavaria, she found that Francis IL had journeyed thither 
incognito, merely to enjoy the sad pleasure of embracing 
her once more. The journey was now resumed, every city 
or hamlet doing its utmost to honour the new Empress, 
who was to be delivered into the hands of French repre- 
sentatives at Braunau, where a group of three adjoining 
pavilions was erected for that express purpose. One of 
these was considered the Austrian Pavilion, and another, 
by courtesy, the French ; the connecting space being 
recognised by both nations as neutral ground. 

According to custom, Marie Louise entered the first 
with her Austrian escort, was delivered into the hands of 
the French authorities in the second, and when all the 
formalities had been fulfilled, and her dowry of five 
hundred thousand francs, duly paid in new coin, she 
passed over to French soil. The imperial household, 
waiting in the third pavilion, were so eager to behold 
their new mistress, that one of them had actually brought 

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Empresses of France 

a gimlet, with which he bored a hole through the wooden 
partition to which ladies and gentlemen alike applied 
curious eyes in turn. Still, all were delighted with the 
appearance of Marie Louise, who wore a heavy robe of 
gold brocade, and professed themselves overjoyed to see 
Napoleon's miniature hanging from her neck. 

Business concluded, the Empress, with tears in her 
eyes, watched her Austrian attendants file past her throne, 
ere she was conducted by the Prince of Neufchatel into 
the French pavilion. There she was first introduced to 
the Queen of Naples, — Napoleon's sister, — who had 
come thither to bid her welcome to France. Entering 
the same carriage, the sisters-in-law next drove slowly 
into the city of Braunau, where great preparations had 
been made to receive the Empress, and whither both 
French and Austrian escorts accompanied them. 

In her lodgings here, opposite the City Hall, Marie 
Louise found an elaborate French toilet-table and the 
trousseau prepared by Napoleon's order, and, according 
to time-honoured custom, proceeded to divest herself of 
every stitch of Austrian raiment so as to assume a purely 
French garb. But, unlike Marie Antoinette, she was 
spared the embarrassment of a public toilet, customs 
having so changed during the past twenty-five years that 
even Levers and Couchers were now only the more or 
less formal receptions of fully dressed sovereigns. 

' It is stated that Marie Louise's trousseau consisted of 
sixty-four dresses, valued at 126,976 francs, seventeen 
shawls at 39,860 francs, sixty pairs of shoes, etc., etc.; 
in short, more than four hundred thousand francs worth 
of wearing apparel, and a sum of 360,000 francs was 
promised her for the yearly replenishing of this sumptuous 
wardrobe. Napoleon, who had taken the liveliest interest 
in the preparation of this trousseau, examined and criticised 

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Marie Louise 

every article before it was sent to her. It is also said 
that he playfully slapped his servant's cheeks with one of 
the pretty new shoes, — which seemed remarkably small 
for so tall a bride, — and remarked gleefully : " Constant, 
that 's a promising shoe. Have you seen many feet 
that could wear that ? " 

After receiving the homage of the town authorities at 
Braunau, Marie Louise wrote to her father, mentioning 
the ordeal she had just passed through, stating rue- 
fully : " I had to endure a two hours' toilet. I assure 
you that I am already as strongly perfumed as the other 
French women," and she concluded her missive with re- 
newed expressions of regret at leaving her beloved home. 
It was in this town that Marie Louise took leave of all 
her Austrian attendants save one, and, stepping into her 
carriage drove away, after receiving a touching fatherly 
blessing from the Prince of Trautmannsdorff, the Aus- 
trian nobleman who had been charged to deliver her into 
the hands of the French envoys. 

The Empress now journeyed on to Munich, where a 
sorrowful experience awaited her, for the Queen of 
Naples, wishing to get her new sister-in-law entirely 
under her own control, suddenly dismissed the Austrian 
lady who was to escort her to Paris and remain with her 
there one year. Too timid to resist, after being drilled 
for years to implicit obedience, Marie Louise wept and 
yielded, but she wrote to her father : " How painful 
this separation is to me ! I could not make a greater 
sacrifice to my husband, and still I do not believe that 
he wished it." 

The Queen of Naples, having met with no active 
resistance in her first attempt at tyranny, next declared 
that Marie Louise must also send back her little 
lap-dog, for Napoleon could not endure pets, and 

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Empresses of France 

she even forbade the Empress to take leave of her 
last Austrian friend ! This act of cruelty, however, 
roused the indignation of Marie Louise's new attendants, 
who cleverly smuggled Madame Lazanski into her 
mistress' room, where they had a long private interview 
while the Queen of Naples slept. 

The journey, which had hitherto been a perpetual 
triumphal march, continued in much the same way, the 
Empress being greeted at every stopping place with 
speeches, receptions, and balls, while the road over which 
she travelled was strewn with flowers and arched with 
garlands, and the air resonant with cannon, cheers, 
bell-ringing, and joyous music from the military bands 
stationed along the way. 

Marie Louise had received her first letter from 
Napoleon at Braunau, and after that, a courier met her 
daily, with letters and presents of flowers or game. As 
the Emperor's caligraphy was a hopeless puzzle to all 
but those inured, Marie Louise had to beg the Queen 
of Naples' help to read these letters ; but every evening 
she personally answered the missive received during the 
day. 

On crossing the Rhine, Marie Louise was met by 
twenty generals with their troops, and at Strasburg 
received a formal welcome to France, where her pres- 
ence seemed to assure peace after eighteen years of 
warfare. One of the spectators of the festivities there, 
is said to have been the Austrian general, Neipperg, who 
was to play so important a part in Marie Louise's life 
a few years later, but whose presence she did not even 
notice, absorbed as she was by the popular demonstra- 
tions. There, also, she met Count Metternich once 
more, and received and answered the first paternal letter, 
declaring she felt sure she would be quite happy, wishing 

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Marie Louise 

he could read Napoleon's letters, — which daily grew 
longer and more lover-like, — and assuring him, with 
much girlish pride : " He pays me every possible 
attention." 

Her letters to the Emperor were also growing longer 
and less stiff, and Napoleon's servant vows his master 
received them with ever-increasing eagerness and pleas- 
ure. In fact, the epistolary wooing was progressing very 
favourably, for Marie Louise, on her side, watched for 
each new courier, anxiously asking what could detain 
him, if he failed to appear at the usual time. Her letters, 
together with those received from his sister and from 
other members of the Imperial cortege, — which were 
all full of Marie Louise's gentleness, sweetness of dis- 
position, fine figure, and other personal charms, — worked 
Napoleon up to the same pitch of impatience as if he 
had been an enamoured youth, in prey to his first passion. 

Now it had been carefully arranged that the Emperor 
should meet his bride on March 28th, in a pavilion built 
for that express purpose between Soissons and Com- 
pi^gne, where the Empress was to fall at his feet and 
he would graciously raise her to the position she was 
ever after to occupy at his side. This stiff program 
was, however, destined never to be carried out, for 
Napoleon, learning that Marie Louise had travelled 
faster than he expected, secretly left Compiegne, — 
where he had been hunting for the past week, — and, 
accompanied by Murat only, rode forward to meet his 
bride. 

Napoleon and his brother-in-law were standing under 
the church porch at Courcelles, to escape from the 
pelting rain, when Marie Louise's carriage stopped at 
the relay, late in the afternoon on the 27th of March. 
Suddenly the Emperor appeared at the carriage door, 

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Empresses of France 

tore it open, and just as one of the attendants exclaimed : 
" The Emperor ! " he sprang into the coach to embrace 
his bride. All ceremony and preconceived arrangements 
were thus upset, and Napoleon, seated opposite his wife 
and sister, eagerly examined this " fine girl, radiant with 
youth, freshness, health, and strength, with her beautiful 
golden hair, blue eyes, and general appearance of inno- 
cence and candour." Such was her surprise, that she, 
too, stared at the man to whom she had been married 
two weeks before, forgetting all else. But, however 
eloquent the glances this couple exchanged, their first 
remarks were as commonplace as those of ordinary 
mortals, for Napoleon briefly exclaimed : " You 're 
surely not afraid of mud," on sitting down, and the new 
Empress naively remarked : " "Why, you 're much better 
looking than your picture ! " This exclamation neverthe- 
less delighted the Emperor, who then and there decided 
that they would journey on together, and despatched a 
courier ahead of him to announce their arrival at 
Compiegne that evening. 

All the elaborate program for the morrow's reception 
was thus upset, but to the untold satisfaction of Marie 
Louise, who had greatly dreaded the formal meeting and 
longed to have it safely over. At nine o'clock the cortege 
arrived at Compiegne, where, despite short notice and 
pouring rain, arches had been hastily erected and the 
castle brilliantly illumined to welcome the bridal party. 
Napoleon led the new Empress straight to her apart- 
ments, where one authority declares she was overjoyed 
to find a piece of unfinished fancy-work which she had 
left behind her at Braunau, as well as her birds and little 
lap-dog, which the Emperor had sent for as soon as he 
learned that she seemed to miss them. Napoleon and 
Marie Louise supped in these rooms alone with the 

156 



Marie Louise 

Queen of Naples, and then paid a brief visit to Pauline 
Borghese, whom illness confined to her chamber. 

On returning with the Empress to her private rooms, 
Napoleon inquired what parting instructions her father 
had given her, and when Marie Louise innocently an- 
swered that he had bidden her " Belong to her husband 
wholly, and obey him in all things," he suddenly deter- 
mined to make another change in the official program, 
and claim his marital rights immediately, instead of wait- 
ing until another marriage ceremony had taken place. 
Instead, therefore, of spending the night elsewhere — 
as etiquette prescribed — he remained in the castle, slily 
asking his servant the next morning whether any one had 
noticed the violation of proprieties, which, after all, was 
only a repetition of Henry IV.'s behaviour with Marie 
de Medicis. It was quite evident to all, however, that 
the Emperor was not only rather proud of himself, but 
charmed with his bride, for he gaily tweaked one of his 
unmarried officers' ears and said to him confidentially : 
*' My dear fellow, marry a German. They are the 
nicest wives in the world, good, innocent, and as sweet 
and fresh as roses." 

His toilet ended, the Emperor hastened back to Marie 
Louise, who remained in bed until noon to recover from 
the fatigues of her journey, her husband having breakfast 
served by her women on a small table by her bedside, 
so that he could share this meal with her. 

While the Empress was preparing for some presenta- 
tions which were to take place at one o'clock, the Em- 
peror wrote to his father-in-law : " Allow me to thank 
you for the fine present you have sent me. May your 
fatherly heart rejoice in the happiness of your daughter." 
This missive was despatched by a special courier, with 
one from Marie Louise, in which, after expressing her 

157 



Empresses of France 

relief at being spared the ceremonious meeting at Com- 
piegne, she frankly added : " Since that moment I have 
been almost intimate with him ; he loves me deeply, and 
I return his affection. I am convinced that I shall be 
happy with him. My health continues good. I am 
quite rested from my journey." Certainly, this letter did 
not sound as if she were a great martyr to duty, nor did 
her subsequent missives, for five days later she wrote : 
" I am as happy as it is possible to be." 

At one o'clock on the 28th of March, all the ladies 
and officers of the Empress' household — whom she had 
not yet seen — were presented and took their oath of 
fidelity. Next came the introductions of all the digni- 
taries, and a joyful recognition of Count Metternich and 
Prince Schwarzenberg, who both rejoiced in their share 
in effecting so satisfactory a marriage. Napoleon, too, 
was in a genial mood that day^ and when he and Marie 
Louise dined in state together, he donned a fantastic 
costume designed by his sister Pauline, but which he 
judged so unbecoming that he never wore it again, pre- 
ferring the uniform in which he always appeared to his 
best advantage. 

On the 31st of March the Imperial party left Com- 
piegne for St. Cloud, Napoleon and Marie Louise riding 
in state in the same carriage, and pausing at the entrance 
of the Bois de Boulogne, where the Empress was wel- 
comed by the Prefect of the Seine with the pompous 
speech : " Escorted thither from Vienna by the love of 
the nations, your Majesty now knows that it is your 
destiny to reign over all hearts by the ascendency of your 
virtues, as well as by the charms of your person. It will 
be our duty and privilege, Madame, to enable you to find 
again in your present abode, the countries you love best, 
those where you were most beloved, and to strive to 

158 



Marie Louise 

render the testimony of our respect and of our love, 
worthy of your Majesties." Crowds had collected all 
along the road to give the Imperial party a continuous 
ovation until they reached St. Cloud, where a state din- 
ner and new presentations closed the day. 

On the 1st of April, 1810, at 2 p.m. at St. Cloud, in 
the Gallery of Apollo, Napoleon and Marie Louise 
were married by civil rite, the Arch-Chancellor conclud- 
ing the brief ceremony in this curious way : " In the 
name of the Emperor and of the law, I declare that His 
Imperial and Royal Majesty, Napoleon, Emperor of the 
French, King of Italy, and her Imperial and Royal High- 
ness, the Archduchess Marie Louise are united in 
marriage." Salvos of artillery published the news of Na- 
poleon's civil marriage abroad, — salvos which were re- 
peated from point to point, until they even reached the 
ears of the unhappy Josephine at Navarre. This was, 
however, a proud day for Napoleon, who stood beside the 
young Empress in the same hall where he had faced the 
Assembly in Brumaire in 1799, where he had been pro- 
claimed Emperor in 1804, and whence he was to set out 
for the fatal campaign in Russia in 18 12. 

The official signing of the wedding contract followed 
the civil marriage, the Emperor's family crowding eagerly 
forward to inscribe their names on the sheet beneath 
those of Napoleon and Marie Louise. Not only were 
Madame Mere and Napoleon's brothers and sisters 
present on this occasion ; but Eugene and Hortense also 
had prominent places in the cortege at the Emperor's 
special request. In fact, the only guests who failed to 
appear were fourteen Italian cardinals, who refused to 
accept as binding a divorce not pronounced by the Pope, 
and whose absence roused a storm of imperial wrath. 

After a family dinner, a play was given in the 
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Empresses of France 

Orangerie, which was followed by a grand illumination 
of the Park with all its spouting fountains ; for, although 
it was raining in Paris on that day, the weather was fine 
at St. Cloud. This fortunate state of affairs was to 
favour their Majesties also on the morrow, the sunshine 
following them as they drove in state to the capital for 
their religious marriage at the Tuileries. Magnificent 
preparations had been made there for their reception, a 
sham Arc de Triomphe being erected on the spot where 
the foundations for the real one had already been laid, and 
which bore the inscription : 

TO NAPOLEON AND MARIE LOUISE 
THE CITY OF PARIS 

The state carriage halted directly under the broad 
arch, while the Governor of Paris delivered his wel- 
coming address, and then proceeded down the Champs 
Elysees. Dense crowds of spectators lined both sides 
of the way, all gazing in open-mouthed admiration 
at the pageant, and especially at the Empress, who 
wore all the glittering crown jewels so lately seen 
on Josephine. Moving slowly, the procession came 
at last to the Place de la Concorde, where Marie 
Louise's great-aunt, Marie Antoinette, was beheaded 
sixteen years before, and finally drew up before the great 
entrance of the Tuileries, barely in time for the wedding 
in the Salon Carre of the Louvre. 

There, all had been ready for hours, and the spec- 
tators were already in their places, save the still delin- 
quent cardinals. The Imperial cortege entered the Salon 
Carre at the stroke of three. Napoleon duly attended by 
his brothers and dignitaries, while Marie Louise's mantle 
was supported by her five sisters-in-law, one of whom, 
— the unhappy Hortense, — could not restrain the heavy 

i6o 




D 

O 



< 
2 



Marie Louise 

tears which dropped on the new Empress' embroidered 
robes. But whereas Hortense was sad, and could not 
forget Josephine, Napoleon was simply radiant, until he 
perceived the absence of the cardinals, when his brow 
lowered and remained overcast throughout the remainder 
of the ceremony. 

The marriage over, the Imperial party returned to 
their apartments, where Marie Louise removed her crown 
and mantle, which were carried in state to Notre Dame. 
But after she had rested for a few minutes she appeared 
with her husband on the balcony of the Tuileries, to re- 
ceive the enthusiastic homage of the Parisian crowd. 
Next came a state banquet, followed by a grand illumi- 
nation, the Emperor and Empress viewing the fireworks 
from the balcony, before listening to a brilliant cantata 
which had been composed for this occasion, which was 
further honoured by one hundred and fifty epithalamiums. 

The next day, their Majesties held an official recep- 
tion in the Tuileries, and heard many addresses, to one 
of which Napoleon made the following characteristic 
response, — naming himself before his bride in truly 
imperial, but not very gallant style : " I and the Em- 
press feel that we deserve the feelings you express by 
the love we bear to our people." 

The fourteen Italian cardinals who had roused the 
Emperor's wrath were not only refused admittance on this 
occasion, but Napoleon banished them from court, be- 
sides depriving them of the privilege of wearing their red 
gowns, thereby making them famous in history as the 
Black Cardinals. 

Although over forty. Napoleon was very anxious to 
please his eighteen-year-old wife and win her heart. He 
found her gentle and modest, and as she had emerged 
from the schoolroom only to marry, court restrictions 

VOL. I. — II i6i 



Empresses of France 

did not seem so irksome to her. Her private life was 
just as simple, quiet, and uneventful as before, her time 
being still devoted to music, painting, embroidery, and 
reading. But, although quiet, she vv^as never alone, for 
etiquette required the constant presence of one of her 
ladies. Indeed, the Empress was guarded as closely as 
the Archduchess had been ; but as she was of a 
very tractable disposition, she allowed her husband or 
Madame de Montebello — who was eighteen years her 
senior and "a lady of honour who was an honourable 
lady indeed " — to regulate her every movement. She 
had been so little accustomed to freedom or amusement, 
that the monotony of this seclusion was not burdensome 
to her ; and after the first novelty wore ofF, she greatly 
preferred it to state receptions, banquets, reviews, or 
other ceremonies, or even, to the long drives through 
the capital, when she was always accompanied by a part 
of her household. In fact, Marie Louise was so con- 
tented with her lot, that she then wrote : " What my 
father often told me has come true, I find the Emperor 
extremely amiable," and on another occasion, still 
speaking of Napoleon, she declared : " We suit each \ 
other perfectly," 

Metternich, having known Marie Louise from infancy 
and negotiated this marriage, the Emperor was particu- 
larly anxious to have him see how happy his wife 
really was, so he ushered him into the Empress' pres- 
ence one day, and, contrary to all precedent left him 
alone with her, locking the door upon them both. An 
hour later, he returned to release his prisoners and 
laughingly inquired : " Well, have you had a good talk ? 
Did the Empress say much harm of me ? Did she 
laugh or did she cry ? " But then, catching himself up, 
he seriously declared that he did not care to know their 

162 



Marie Louise 

secrets, a statement which Metternich slily repeated to 
him the next day, when curiosity suddenly became ram- 
pant, and he tried to discover what his young wife had 
said about him to her old friend. Still, any doubts on 
this question were futile at that time, for Marie Louise 
was well pleased with her fate, and greatly flattered by 
the fact that the Emperor changed some of his habits 
merely to please her. He took all his meals with her, 
catered to her individual tastes by ordering plenty of 
sweets, gratified her every wish, and made her frequent 
brief visits in the course of the day, to make sure she 
was neither sad nor homesick. 

It is also said that one of the rooms of the Tuileries 
was furnished by his order exactly like her pet nook at 
home, all her girlish possessions having been secretly 
conveyed thither from Vienna for this express purpose. 
Shortly after the wedding. Napoleon led her along the 
dark and narrow corridors of the palace to this room, 
laughing gleefully when she clung to him in her terror 
of spooky corners, and saying : " Don't be afraid, my 
little Marie Louise, you are with me, no harm can hap- 
pen to you." But when they reached the mysterious 
apartment, and the door was flung open, Marie Louise 
fairly gasped with pleasure and surprise, and began to run 
around the room, touching the familiar objects and loudly 
expressing her delight. Then, remembering the pains 
her husband had taken to procure her this pleasure, she 
impkuously ran to the window where he stood watch- 
ing her rapture, and clasped her arms around his neck. 
This demonstrative embrace, seen by the crowd gazing 
up at the palace windows, caused a burst of lusty cheers, 
which drove the shame-faced young Empress back to the 
very depths of her new apartment, where the Emperor 
followed her, highly pleased. 

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Empresses of France 

The wedding ceremonies being all over, Napoleon 

and Marie Louise withdrew to Compiegne for a brief 

honeymoon, during which the young bride took her first 

dancing lessons, and Napoleon, who had only recently 

mastered the art, often took a turn with her in spite of 

his forty years. He also volunteered to teach her to 

ride, a proposal which, charmed Marie Louise, who had 

hitherto been deprived of that pleasure for fear of an 

accident. Early every morning, therefore, horses were 

brought to the door, and the Emperor not only mounted 

the Empress himself, but at first walked by her side, 

holding her fast until she grew accustomed to the 

motion, and gained sufficient courage to sit upright in 

her saddle. When she had progressed far enough to 

ride without support. Napoleon mounted his own steed 

to ride around the park or garden with her, laughing 

merrily at her terrors, urging her steed by sly touches of 

his whip, and directing her how to sit or hold her reins. 

But, boisterous as he was, he was also careful that no 

harm should befall her, and to guard against possible 

accident, he stationed watchful attendants every ten 

paces along their course, giving them orders to check 

the Empress' horse when necessary, to save her from 

any fall. These riding lessons were carried on until 

Marie Louise became sufficiently expert to enjoy the 

hunting parties at Compiegne and Fontainebleau, where, 

she was often seen with her ladies during her brief 

reign. 

One day, Marie Louise expressed a casual regret that 
there was no stately grape arbour at Compiegne, under 
which they two could stroll, in shade and seclusion, and 
reminded Napoleon of the one at Schonbrunn. The 
indulgent husband immediately sent for a skilled land- 
scape gardener, who planned an arbour eighteen hundred 

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O Ci 
CO 



o 



2 



Marie Louise 

meters long, and so lofty that one could even drive under 
it in a coach and four. 

On the 27th of April, the Imperial honeymoon 
ended, and Napoleon set out with his wife for a tour in 
Northern France, where they were received with music, 
flowers, and fulsome speeches galore. In fact, popular 
adulation reached such proportions that in one hamlet 
Napoleon was addressed as " Pater Noster," while Marie 
Louise was welcomed as " Ave Maria, gratia plena ! " a 
performance which did not seem to shock any one at 
the time. Thus their Majesties journeyed on, midst 
plaudits and salvos ; but although constant representation 
soon grew rather wearisome to Marie Louise, she would 
not consent to let the Emperor finish his tour alone, but 
gratified him hugely by begging permission to remain 
with him until they returned to St. Cloud, on the ist of 
June. 

Ten days later, they attended a grand festival given in 
their honour at the Hotel de Ville, which consisted of a 
banquet followed by a ball, illuminations, and fireworks. 
Then came a series of private fetes culminating in the 
ball of the Austrian ambassador. Prince Schwarzenberg. 
He had erected in his garden a huge but flimsily built ball- 
room, which was artistically draped, festooned with gar- 
lands, and brilliantly lighted with countless wax tapers. 
The ball was at its height ; and the Emperor had just left 
Marie Louise upon the dais, to take a stroll among the 
dancers, when the light draperies from one of the win- 
dows suddenly blew against a lighted candle. Some gen- 
tlemen, standing near, tried to seize the flaming draperies 
and tear them down, but the fire had already reached the 
decorations, and three minutes later the whole room 
was ablaze. The panic which ensued is indescribable. 
Metternich took up his post by Marie Louise, where 

165 



Empresses of France 

Napoleon joined him as quickly as possible ; while Prince 
Schwarzenberg and the principal officers, — who im- 
agined the fire was intended to cover an attempt at 
assassination, — immediately surrounded them both, to 
convey them to a place of safety. In fact, it was only 
when the Empress was seated in her carriage, that the dis- 
tracted ambassador rushed back into the hall, where his 
wife and daughters had been dancing, a moment before, 
with some of their distinguished guests. 

Satisfied that the fire was purely accidental, Napoleon 
now bade Marie Louise drive to St. Cloud alone, 
and hastened back to the scene of the conflagration to 
direct the work of the rescuers. But, despite his inspir- 
ing presence, and the heroism of the Austrian ambassador 
and many of his guests, many precious lives were lost, 
and the corpses were recognised on the morrow only by 
the jewels, or orders, scattered near them or clinging to 
their charred bones. Among other distinguished vic- 
tims of this horrible catastrophe, was the wife of the 
Austrian ambassador, who, having escaped once, rushed 
back into the flames in quest of one of her daughters. 

Meantime, Marie Louise had driven home ; but the 
utmost anxiety reigned in the palace until the Emperor 
returned there at four o'clock in the morning, grimy and 
weary, but quite safe. He hastened immediately to his 
wife's room to reassure her, and, sinking exhausted into 
a chair, allowed her attendants to remove his charred 
gloves, while he graphically described the heartrending 
scenes which he had just witnessed. This calamity cast 
a gloom over everything for a while, and although both 
Napoleon and Marie Louise escaped unharmed, super- 
stitious people began to whisper that it was a presage 
of coming evil 

The Emperor, who, according to most writers, was a 
i66 



Marie Louise 

kind master and easy to live with when not crossed, 
continued kind and attentive to Marie Louise, and was, 
at first, so afraid of hurting her feelings and being con- 
sidered stern or exacting, that he once begged Metter- 
nich to explain to her a necessary point of etiquette in 
his stead. He was so careful not to frighten her, that 
she considered him quite angelic, and soon wrote home : " I 
assure you, dear papa, that the Emperor has been greatly 
slandered. The more one learns to know him, the more 
one appreciates and loves him," and on another occasion : 
" The Emperor is the most amiable of men." 

But, notwithstanding this indulgence for his wife, 
Napoleon was very strict with others, and woe betide 
the attendant who failed to observe the etiquette he pre- 
scribed ! One of his principal tenets was that no man 
should ever be allowed within the sacred precincts of 
the Empress' private rooms, and especially that she 
should never remain even for a moment alone with 
any male visitor or attendant. A cabinet-maker having 
constructed a chest with secret drawers for Marie 
Louise's use, had to obtain the Emperor's special per- 
mission before he could explain to her its cunning 
mechanism. But, even then, a lady-in-waiting was 
present, although, on this one occasion only, she stood 
so far away that she could not hear what was said. 
The Emperor, having forgotten granting this permis- 
sion, happened however to enter his wife's room just 
then, and seeing her apparently alone with a man, he 
was about to discharge all the vials of his wrath upon 
that unfortunate individual and the attendants, when his 
wife checked him by a hurried explanation. 

On another occasion he roundly scolded a lady-in- 
waiting who ventured to go to the door to give an 
order while Marie Louise was taking a singing lesson. 

167 



Empresses of France 

When she tried to excuse herself, he sternly retorted : 
" Madame, I honour and respect the Empress, but the 
sovereign of a great Empire must be placed out of reach 
of all suspicion." These precautions, so customary at 
that time, were, however, in no wise derogatory to Marie 
Louise's fair fame, which Napoleon guarded so jealously. 
Not even he could reach her without passing through 
the room of the chief lady-in-waiting, who challenged 
him as well as any one else, and mounted guard over 
her charge night and day, like the veriest duenna. 

Napoleon's divorce and second marriage having been 
effected solely for the sake of an heir, he was, of course, 
very anxious to see this wish fulfilled, and was therefore 
quite overjoyed about the middle of August, when the 
court physicians announced that the Empress was in a 
fair way to crown his hopes. Although this news was 
not officially proclaimed until late in November, it was 
too good a secret to keep, and gradually leaked out ; but 
while no notice could be taken of it until formally con- 
firmed, all were ready with congratulatory speeches on 
the anniversary of the Coronation and of Austerlitz, 
when a solemn Te Deum was sung. 

Some writers aver that the first official intimation of 
the coming event was given by Napoleon, at Fontaine- 
bleau, immediately after the christening of Hortense's 
third son, who was to succeed him on the imperial 
throne. The Emperor then pointedly remarked to the 
assembled guests : " I trust, ere long, we shall have 
another baptism." 

If Napoleon had been kind and indulgent to his young 
wife before she was with child, he was doubly attentive 
now, and, discovering by accident that she had refused to 
buy some rubies which she wanted, but deemed too costly, 
he surprised her by presenting her with others worth eight 

i68 




00 ^ 



< 

G 



> 



Marie Louise 

times as much on New Year's Day. He also gave her 
valuable presents to bestow upon her family and friends, 
and as she always showed signs of unmistakable jealousy 
at any mention of Josephine, and wept when told that her 
husband called upon her, he now paid his visits secretly, 
excusing himself for making a mystery of such a matter 
by saying, that it would "hurt his wife's feelings," should 
she hear what he had done. Still Napoleon was very 
boyish in many ways, and not above teasing his wife, for 
one day he tantalisingly exclaimed : " There, you see your 
father is a thief, he takes what does not belong to him." 
Whereat she promptly retorted : " That 's true ; but you 
are worse than he ; you steal kingdoms, and he only 
seizes a little land ! " 

Only once Napoleon so far forgot himself as to 
exclaim in her presence that the Emperor of Austria, — 
whose notorious stupidity often exasperated him, — was 
a " chump " (une ganache). Marie Louise, unversed in 
French slang, innocently asked what that might mean, 
and being mendaciously informed that it signified " a 
fine fellow," electrified the court soon after by gravely 
applying that term to a diplomat whom she wished to 
address in a particularly gracious manner ! 

One day when Napoleon entered Marie Louise's 
apartment, he found her amusing herself by concocting 
an omelet. Although a hurried attempt was made to 
conceal this undertaking from him, he sniffed and poked 
around until he had discovered the secret, and then cried : 
" What, you are making an omelet ? Bah ! you don't 
know anything about it. I '11 show you how to do it ! " 
Speaking thus, he immediately set to work ; all went well 
until he undertook to toss the omelet, which fell on the 
floor, and the imperial cook fled, laughing uproariously. 

But, gentle as the new wife was, she could be very 
169 



Empresses of France 

obstinate too, and Napoleon found her on the whole far 
less accommodating than Josephine. Not only did she 
keep him waiting, — a thing no one else ever dared do, 
— but she insisted upon having her rooms quite cold, 
although he shivered in them, and called for a fire. Very 
often, too, she sat down to table without him, instead of 
waiting his good pleasure for hours, as her predecessor 
had done. But Napoleon took all these innovations very 
philosophically, was extremely indulgent, and exacted 
very little entertainment from his placid young wife, 
whose sole " art of pleasing " is said to have consisted in 
moving her ears without stirring a single muscle of her 
face ! This talent was often called into requisition by 
her ladies, as time went on, to vary the monotony of the 
long hours spent with her, for, feeling no lively interest 
in any one but herself or her absent family, Marie 
Louise was not by far as charming a companion as 
Josephine. 

Fortunately, the coming of a tiny stranger furnished a 
new and absorbing topic of conversation for the court 
ladies, who, after all, took a far keener interest in the 
preparations than the apathetic young mother expectant. 
A baby outfit costing three hundred thousand francs was 
carefully planned, and, after due deliberation. Napoleon 
selected the Countess de Montesquiou — a most estima- 
ble lady of forty-six — to take entire charge of the im- 
perial child from the moment of its birth, bestowing 
upon her the sonorous title of "Governess of the Children 
of France." As a lady of such high degree as the Empress 
never nursed her own offspring, a nurse was also care- 
fully chosen, — the wife of a joiner of Fontainebleau, — 
and as the sex of the child could not of course be deter- 
mined beforehand, two baskets were prepared — blue for 
a girl and pink for a boy. As the time drew near for 

170 



Marie Louise 

the advent of the ardently expected babe, all manner of 
gifts began to pour into the palace, and the Prefect of the 
Seine officially presenting the Empress with an exquisite 
silver-gilt cradle, in the name of the City of Paris. This 
article of furniture, designed by Prud'hon, an artist of 
note, was a masterpiece, crowned by a dainty figure of 
Glory upholding a glittering star. Below this exquisite 
statuette, silken curtains fell on either side of the downy, 
lace-covered nest, at the foot of which crouched a young 
eagle apparently about to soar up to the star, upon which 
its ardent gaze was fixed. 

Although the Empress seldom appeared in public after 
the end of January, she exercised daily in the Tuileries 
garden, where the people watched her move slowly up 
and down the walks, and often blessed her audibly, and 
wished her good luck. The birth of the Emperor's child 
being a matter of national interest, the public was in- 
formed that the first symptoms of parturition would be 
announced by the ringing of the church bells, while the 
conclusion would be proclaimed by the cannon of the 
Invalides, twenty-one salvos being fired for a girl, and 
one hundred and one for a boy. 

On the 19th of March the church bells suddenly 
began pealing, so all night long the churches were full 
of devout people, eagerly praying for the safe arrival of 
the longed-for heir. As custom requires the presence 
of a certain number of witnesses to testify to the legiti- 
macy of royal offspring, the physician, nurse, four court 
ladies, and two chambermaids remained in the Empress' 
apartment all night, while Napoleon, his family, and 
officials waited in adjoining rooms. From time to time, 
the Emperor stole softly to his wife's bedside to hold her 
hand, and encourage her gently ; but when she fell asleep 
in the early morning, the attendant physicians declared 

171 



Empresses of France 

his presence would not be required for some time. 
Napoleon, therefore, withdrew to his dressing-room, 
where he proceeded to take a bath to refresh himself 
after his long vigil. But, while he was thus engaged, 
the door suddenly burst open, and the distracted physi- 
cian rushed in, declaring that the Empress was again in 
pain, for unexpected complications had arisen. Napo- 
leon, seeing the physician had lost the presence of mind 
so indispensable at that moment, immediately exclaimed, 
in the most reassuring way : " Come, come, Mr. Du- 
bois, don't lose your head. Save the mother, think of 
her only. Just imagine you are attending the wife of 
some shopkeeper on the rue St. Denis. You cannot 
do any more for her than for anybody else j but, whatever 
happens, consider the mother first. I will follow you 
immediately ! " 

Somewhat braced by these instructions, the physician 
now hastened back to his patient, closely followed by 
the Emperor, who had not even taken time to dry him- 
self, and was only half-clothed. At sight of his wife's 
suffering, the man who had never quailed on the field of 
battle in the midst of dead and dying, suddenly turned 
fearfully pale. But even then his presence of mind did 
not entirely desert him, for while kissing and comforting 
Marie Louise, he encouraged her attendants to do all 
they could for her speedy relief. But when all were at 
work, and his presence superfluous, once more he did — 
what many another brave man has done — turned and 
fled. 

The use of instruments becoming necessary toward 
the end, Marie Louise lost her self-control and bitterly 
cried : " Must I be sacrificed merely because I am an 
Empress ? " but Madame de Montesquiou, who was 
helping hold her, gently reassured her, saying : " Cour- 

172 



Marie Louise 

age, Madame, I have gone through the same operation. 
I assure you your precious life is not in danger." 

The latter statement, however, proved not quite true, 
for after the birth of the babe at 8.40 that morning, 
Marie Louise lay in such a critical condition that the 
child vv^as hastily put down on the floor, where it 
remained, blue, lifeless, and unheeded. Without a look 
at, or a question concerning his eagerly expected heir. 
Napoleon kissed his wife, speaking affectionately to her. 
But Madame de Montesquiou and the others, finally 
released from other duties, began to rub the inanimate 
child, forced a few drops of brandy down his throat, and 
worked to such good purpose that at the end of seven 
minutes a lusty cry proclaimed him very much alive. 
At the first sound. Napoleon pounced like an eagle upon 
his son and heir, took him in his arms, kissed him raptu- 
rously, and, rushing to the door, exultantly exhibited 
him to the expectant throng in the neighbouring room. 
A second later, the child was again in the hands of his 
startled attendants, and Napoleon, finding his presence in 
the sick room unwelcome, now passed on to his own apart- 
ment, where he gave the signal for general congratula- 
tions by exclaiming : " Well, sirs, we have a fine strong 
boy ! He had to be coaxed a bit before he would put in 
an appearance, but he has come at last ! " Then, a 
wave of recollection coming even in the midst of his 
exultation, he added, in moved tones : " Dear wife, how 
brave she has been and how she has suffered ! I had 
rather never have another child than see her suffer like 
this again." This impression, so natural under the cir- 
cumstances, was, however, never to pass away, and as the 
physicians later told him that another birth would prob- 
ably cost his wife's life, we are informed that Napoleon 
never even wished for other children, but was satisfied 

173 



Empresses of France 

with the sole heir upon whose precarious life he built all 
his hopes for the future. 

The church bells had proclaimed that the expected 
infant would soon appear, so a dense but noiseless crowd 
collected in the Tuileries garden at early dawn, and 
gazed eagerly up at the Empress' window, waiting with 
bated breath for some sign of the expected news. 
Napoleon, standing behind the curtain of Marie Louise's 
room, looked down upon a sea of upturned faces, and 
saw the start which welcomed the first boom of the In- 
valides' cannon. No sound save the heavy reverberation 
of the mighty guns, and the breathless, unanimous count- 
ing of the multitude, could now be heard on the vast 
square. But when the twenty-one shots were followed 
by others, and no doubt remained that a son had been 
born in the Tuileries, the crowd simply went mad with 
joy, ceased counting, and cheered so lustily that tears 
coursed down the Emperor's cheeks. Napoleon's 
servant, speaking of this thrilling moment, declares : 
" Glory never made him shed a single tear, but the bliss 
of being a father touched the soul which the most bril- 
liant victories and the most sincere testimonies of public 
admiration had left almost unmoved." 

At 10.30, Madame Blanchard, the famous aeronaut, 
went up in a balloon, carrying huge supplies of papers, 
announcing the birth of Napoleon's heir, which she 
tossed out by the handful, thus scattering abroad the 
news which cannon and signal telegraph were doing 
their best to publish far and wide. Everywhere the joy- 
ful tidings were welcomed with the same extravagant 
demonstrations of joy, for no one suspected that the 
child who had been styled King of Rome, even before 
he came into the world, was to die, like his illustrious 
father, in exile ! 

174 



Marie Louise 

In his ecstasy, Napoleon could scarcely tear himself 
away from the cradle where his son slumbered ; but he 
wrote in person to the Emperor of Austria and to 
Josephine, remarking, as he signed the missives : " Those 
are very good letters. I never signed better ones." 
Then he entrusted them to special couriers, who made 
the utrriost despatch, proudly proclaiming the news as 
they dashed along on their joyful errand. 

At nine o'clock of the evening of the 20th of March, 
1811, on his birthday, the little King of Rome was pri- 
vately baptised in the chapel of the Tuileries, Napoleon 
himself holding the child over the font, and all who were 
present at this ceremony bear witness to the pride with 
which his eyes rested upon the long-desired heir of all 
his glory. Two days later, at a state reception, the 
Emperor received the congratulations of Senate and 
diplomats, and was delighted when the former made a 
flattering allusion in their speech to " the new star which 
has arisen on the horizon of France, and whose first rays 
disperse the faintest shadows of the darkness in the 
future." 

Meantime, the chamberlains — whose number had 
been doubled for this express purpose — were kept busy 
from morning until night answering inquiries, receiving 
congratulations, and acknowledging the two thousand 
poems written to celebrate the joyous advent of Napo- 
leon's heir. But while no one was allowed to approach 
the young mother, sundry deputations and dignitaries 
were vouchsafed a glimpse of the child, whom the Legis- 
lative Assembly honoured with a special address, gravely 
read aloud in his sleeping presence. The Governess' 
acknowledgment of this speech was duly reported by the 
deputation to the Legislature as follows : " We con- 
veyed to him, gentlemen, the expression of your most 

175 



Empresses of France 

tender sentiments, mingled with such wishes as the love 
of our own children inspires within us. Madame the 
Governess received them, and thanked us in the name 
of the young Prince, regretting, no doubt, that she was 
unable to add his personal sentiments to those which she 
expressed to the Legislative Assembly." 

These addresses and demonstrations all pleased the 
Emperor greatly, and he ordered that all these tokens of 
congratulation, as well as the two thousand poems, 
should be printed as a souvenir of the birth of the King 
of Rome, in whose honour the whole city was brilliantly 
illuminated on the night of his birth. Balloons being all 
the rage, a huge one was launched from the Champ de 
Mars, and all openly wondered where it would fall. It 
was, therefore, considered a particularly happy omen 
when news came that it had landed in Rome ; but the 
Emperor started when he heard that it was found resting 
upon Nero's tomb, and he made a violent effort to shake 
off a superstitious dread, by exclaiming carelessly : 
" Well, I would sooner see it there, than in the dust of 
the streets ! " 

Although the Empress had been so ill, she recovered 
with surprising rapidity, and while paler and less 
plump than before, she felt so well that she took her 
first airing on the terrace of the Tuileries on the 17 th 
of April, the people showing their pleasure by cheering 
her enthusiastically. The next day she took a drive, 
and on Sunday was solemnly churched in the Chapel of 
the Tuileries. Even this ceremony wearied her so little 
that on the 2ist of April, the imperial court could re- 
move to St. Cloud, where the little Prince was to be 
brought up as much as possible in the open air. There 
his mother resumed her wonted occupations, writing in 
her first letter to her father : " You can't imagine my 

176 




Marie Louise and the King of Rome, i8ii. 

Frwnque. 



Marie Louise 

great happiness, I would never have believed that I 
could experience such rapture. My affection for my 
husband has increased, if such a thing were possible, 
since the birth of this son. I am still moved to tears 
when I think of the proofs of tenderness which he has 
given me. Those tokens would bind me to him were 
not my heart already won by all his good qualities. He 
bids me remember him to you. He often inquires about 
you and says : ' Your father must be very happy to have 
a grandson.' When I tell him that you already love 
this child he is delighted. I take the liberty of sending 
you my child's picture. You will doubtless see that he 
looks like the Emperor. He is very strong for five 
weeks old. When he came into the world he weighed 
nine pounds. He is very healthy and spends the whole 
day in the garden. The Emperor takes a great interest 
in his son, he dandles him, plays with him, and tries to 
feed him, but cannot manage that." 

Marie Louise talked thus of her child at first, but 
her maternal instincts were never strongly developed, 
and her babe always seemed more of a curiosity and a 
plaything to her than " flesh of her flesh." She, there- 
fore, left him without any compunction to the care of 
his governess and nurse, and begged to accompany her 
husband when he set out for Normandy. When they 
returned to St. Cloud in June, they found the boy well 
and happy, and in fine condition to make his first appear- 
ance in public on the 7th of June, for a formal baptism 
at Notre Dame. 

On this occasion, the King of Rome, with his gover- 
ness and nurse, occupied the place of honour in the pro- 
cession in the great glass coach, his Imperial parents, 
sumptuously attired, following in a more modest equipage. 
The ceremony, which was as imposing as possible, took 

VOL. I. — 12 177 



Empresses of France 

place at 7 p. m., the slanting rays of the setting sun 
falling down upon the group at the font. As soon as 
the christening ceremony was over, the governess handed 
the infant to the Empress, who held him while the 
herald gave the signal for cheering, by crying loudly : 
" Long live the King of Rome ! " But Marie Louise 
was always afraid of the baby, and held him so awk- 
wardly, that Napoleon, fearing all the people might not 
have a good look at him, suddenly seized the boy himself, 
and held him high above his head in the dazzling sun- 
beam, his eye resting proudly on the tiny figure, the 
centre of attraction on this momentous occasion ! 

When the little King had been restored to his gover- 
ness, he was taken to the Archiepiscopal palace, and 
from thence home, while Napoleon and Marie Louise 
attended the remainder of the service, and returned to 
the Tuileries by torchlight. This formal christening of 
the heir of the Empire was the signal for festivities 
of all kinds in Paris and elsewhere, culminating with a 
fete at St. Cloud, on the 23rd of June. For the next 
few weeks, however, the park was almost deserted ; but 
throngs again invaded it for the Emperor's birthday cele- 
bration on the 15th of August. This was closely fol- 
lowed by the festivities for Marie Louise's twentieth 
birthday, which was celebrated at the Trianon, just be- 
fore the Imperial couple set out for a tour in the north, 
in the course of which Marie Louise felt deeply injured 
because she had to part with her husband for a fortnight ! 
She was, however, not alone, for all her household ac- 
companied her, and she certainly had no time to mope, 
for she was sumptuously entertained in every town 
through which she passed. After Napoleon rejoined her 
in Brussels, they journeyed together through Holland, 
where Marie Louise drove into Broeck, — a town 

178 



Marie Louise 

whose pavement had never before been defiled by an 
animal's tread, — and where the Mayor opened for her 
express benefit the front door of his house, although such 
entrances were never used except for funerals. 

From Holland the Imperial party proceeded to Diissel- 
dorf and Cologne, returning to Paris to spend the winter 
of 1811-12 in the Tuileries, where the most rigid eti- 
quette was still observed. There the Empress' life 
resumed its monotonous regularity. Awakening at 
eight, she breakfasted in bed, read her letters and played 
with her baby until nine, when she proceeded to her 
daily toilet. When this was concluded, she received the 
persons admitted to the " petites entrees," or morning 
receptions. At twelve, she lunched with the Emperor, 
who always had his child brought in, and held him on 
his knee while he ate. During this meal he played 
with the boy, dipping his fingers in the gravy, letting 
the child suck them, laughing uproariously over his 
grimaces and smeared face, and deriding the governess 
whenever she objected to any of these rash performances. 

In fact, the Emperor adored his son, who, in spite of 
rough caresses, became devoted to him and was generally 
good-tempered when with him. People soon discovered 
that Napoleon was never so accessible as at this hour, 
when he seldom refused any petition, — a fact soon noted 
by those who craved favours. They, therefore, made 
Madame de Montesquiou their spokeswoman. She, 
and the Prefect of the Palace — who waited upon their 
Majesties — were the only outsiders present at these 
family parties, during which Marie Louise idly watched 
her husband play with the child whom she was afraid to 
handle, and who openly preferred his governess to her. 
But while she did not know how to amuse him, Marie 
Louise paid frequent visits to his nursery in the course of 

179 



Empresses of France 

her afternoon, which was devoted to music, drawing, and 
fancywork, varied by a two hours' ride or drive. Then, 
after dining alone with Napoleon, she generally played 
billiards or cards until she retired at ten or eleven. 

Marie Louise, although not a fond mother, was, how- 
ever, proud of her son's undeniable beauty and clever- 
ness, and when Napoleon was not too busy, she often 
went with the boy to his study for brief calls. As the 
entrance of this study was forbidden to all outsiders, the 
nurse always placed the little King of Rome in her arms 
at the door, and Napoleon, knowing the insecurity of her 
grasp, invariably sprang forward as soon as he saw her 
to take the child himself. He was thus often seen at his 
desk, his son on his knee, or reading, while the child 
played or slept beside him, and sometimes both stretched 
out on the floor, the Emperol- working out strategic 
problems with coloured blocks, which his son promptly 
knocked over with his tiny hands, mistaking them for 
mere toys set up for his amusement. When old 
enough to creep or walk, the King of Rome worked 
greater havoc in his father's learned combinations than 
the enemy at Leipzig or Waterloo ; but the Emperor's 
equanimity was never ruffled, and with exhaustless 
patience he began his combinations anew as often as 
disturbed. 

This gentle forbearance, so foreign to his nature, was 
almost invariable with Marie Louise and the boy, and his 
valet bears witness that, as " father and as husband, he 
could have served as example to all his subjects." Still, 
Marie Louise's quasi-indifFerence to the child often an- 
noyed him ; and when she insisted upon leaving the boy 
to accompany him on his journeys, he once impetuously 
informed her that she would never win the French people's 
hearts, if she did not show herself a better mother ! It 

1 80 



Marie Louise 

is said that this unwelcome truth caused a noisy scene in 
the palace, such as had been frequent in the days of 
Josephine, but entirely unknown since Marie Louise had 
entered its doors. But although the Emperor swore in 
his anger that his wife should henceforth remain at home, 
he evidently changed his mind, for he took her with him 
to Dresden in May, sending his son to St. Cloud to be 
weaned. 

This northward journey was momentous indeed, for 
the Emperor had summoned to Dresden so many of his 
friends and allies, that the court he held there is con- 
sidered the culminating point of his imperial splendour. 
Marie Louise had the pleasure of meeting her father 
there, and the undeniable satisfaction of completely 
eclipsing her stepmother by the magnificence of her 
jewels and attire, in which she took great pride, al- 
though she had not Josephine's innate taste. Her dis- 
play greatly incensed the Empress of Austria, who 
vainly tried to recover her old ascendency, and domineer 
over Marie Louise as of old ; but while the latter loaded 
her stepmother with gifts, she obstinately refused to show 
her even the requisite deference, in spite of her husband's 
repeated injunctions. Thus, by her insolence, Marie 
Louise made a covert enemy of the Austrian Empress, 
and all Napoleon's paraded gallantry in escorting this lady 
to and fro, when she was carried through the long rooms 
of the palace in her sedan-chair, could not mitigate the 
ill-effect produced by Marie Louise's conduct. Still Na- 
poleon hoped to blot out all remembrance of his wife's 
vanity by gifts, which he dispensed in such profusion 
during this sojourn, that he subsequently declared he 
had fairly " gorged her relatives with diamonds." 

The Austrians were not the only royalties at Dresden, 
however, for the King of Prussia and the Czar of Russia 



Empresses of France 

also came thither to confer with Napoleon. It is even 
said that it was here that the King shrewdly advised the 
Czar to avoid an open conflict with Napoleon, saying : 
" Attract the French into the heart of Russia, and let 
fatigue and cold conquer them ! " 

It was here, too, that Marie Louise, crossing the rooms 
with Napoleon one day, suddenly found herself face to 
face with the Count of Neipperg, to whom she addressed 
a few insignificant words, little suspecting the prominent 
part he would play in her life only two years later. 

On the 29th of May, 181 2, at three o'clock in the 
morning. Napoleon bade good-bye to his wife, kissing 
her effusively, and leaving her quite woe-begone at the 
prospect of their first prolonged separation. But her 
tears soon dried, for she was to meet her father at Prague 
before returning to Paris. Although, according to some 
authorities, the courtly and attentive Neipperg here acted 
as one of her chamberlains, and everything was done to 
please and amuse her, her vanity being gratified by being 
set above both father and stepmother, Marie Louise 
nevertheless missed Napoleon, as the following extracts 
from her letters prove: "I could be perfectly happy 
here were the Emperor with me, but without him 1 can 
know no happiness." " I have very good news of the 
Emperor, who is near Konigsberg, and who is cheerful 
and satisfied. I shall be so only at the moment when I 
see the Emperor once more, and I would like to be able 
to purchase that moment at the expense of a few years 
of my life." " He writes to me very often, and every 
day that I receive a letter is a happy day for me. . . . 
Nothing can comfort me for the absence of the Emperor, 
not even the presence of all my family." 

While she still pretended to be devoted to her family, 
Marie Louise was so deficient in tact, that she mortified 

182 



Marie Louise 

them frequently by an arrogant display of her possessions, 
and, no longer restrained by Napoleon, she drew such 
odious comparisons between her old and her new homes, 
that she sorely wounded German national pride. 

This total lack of kindly feeling or diplomacy, was to 
have, before long, evil consequences which she little sus- 
pected when she left Prague on the ist of July, escorted 
by her father, who was going to drink the waters of 
Carlsbad. There, father and daughter parted, the latter 
returning to St. Cloud, where she arrived on the i8th, 
welcomed by booming cannon, and where she found the 
King of Rome in radiant health and spirits. Three 
days later, while out driving with her boy, she received 
a charming ovation from the people, and on the 26th, 
held her first solitary official reception; for, although she 
had not been appointed Regent during her husband's 
absence, he had bidden her preside over all the court 
functions. These — except when it was a question of 
dazzling her family — were always somewhat of an or- 
deal for her, and, in spite of much practice, she never got 
rid of a certain timidity, which always made her appear 
cold and awkward, and contrasted unfavourably with 
Josephine's graceful desire to please. But Marie 
Louise, though cold, was undoubtedly dignified, and 
however weary of speeches and representation, she was 
far too thoroughly imbued with a sense of the re- 
quirements of her position to shirk any of her official 
duties. Still, she felt undeniably lonely during this first 
prolonged separation from her husband, and wrote to her 
father that she found it " most painful," adding : " I have 
scarcely courage enough to refrain from pitying myself." 

Napoleon had left his wife well surrounded, but 
while her boy was not the absorbing delight he would 
have been to a more devoted mother, she was quite 

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Empresses of France 

proud of him, for she wrote : " Every day he becomes 
handsomer and stronger, he can already walk alone ; he 
has fifteen- teeth, but has not yet begun to talk." 

She commissioned Gerard to paint the picture of this 
charming child, which, when finished, was forwarded to 
Russia, where the Emperor spent his birthday in the 
midst of the army, and where it reached him on the eve 
of the battle of Borodino. Such was the Emperor's im- 
patience to behold this new effigy of his idolised son, 
that he could scarcely wait until the box was unpacked, 
and, seizing the picture, set it up with his own hands on 
a chair before him. Then he openly gloated over the 
boy, who was represented playing with a cup and ball, to 
which the painter had artfully given an illusive re- 
semblance to a globe and sceptre, thus enhancing the 
whole representation by a subtle touch of allegory. 
Napoleon was so proud of this portrait that he called in 
all of his staff to view it, and said : " Gentlemen, you may 
be sure that if my son were fifteen years old, he would 
be here in person among so many brave men, and not in 
effigy only." 

Then, longing to share his joy with all the army, 
he had the picture placed in front of his tent, where 
it was stared at with all the open-mouthed admira- 
tion that even the grim old grenadiers felt for the ideally 
beautiful child of their beloved chief. On the morrow, 
when the battle was imminent, this innocent child-face 
seemed out of place amid the coming carnage, so Napo- 
leon entrusted it to an officer, saying gently : " Take it 
away and guard it carefully ; he sees a field of battle too 
soon." But when he arrived in Moscow, the picture was 
again unpacked, and placed by his order, in his bedroom. 

Although the Russian campaign turned out far dif- 
ferently from what he had expected, Napoleon kept the 

184 




Napoleon and the King of Rome. 

Steuben. 



Marie Louise 

Parisians ignorant of the real state of affairs, by ordering 
a solemn Te Deum at Notre Dame, which Marie Louise 
attended in state. Just then, however, the French army 
was preparing to leave the devastated city of Moscow, 
to begin its fatal retreat, and the tidings of disaster, 
carefully concealed, gradually leaked out, and were 
already pretty well-known when, three days later, the 
famous Malet conspiracy took place. 

Marie Louise, in her luxurious chamber at St. Cloud, 
and Napoleon, spending a cheerless night in his travel- 
ling carriage, vainly trying to devise plans to cheat fate 
and save his men, little suspected that by means of 
forged papers, a former lunatic would convince some 
French officers that the Emperor was dead, arrest offi- 
cials, and come within an ace of overthrowing the whole 
Imperial government ! But this is what really occurred, 
and instead of immediately proclaiming the King of 
Rome, the officials lost their heads, and had not the mis- 
take been discovered in time, a new revolution would 
surely then have occurred in France. 

It was the news of this attempt and his aversion to 
witness suffering he could not remedy, that suddenly de- 
termined Napoleon to leave his army in Murat's charge, 
and return in haste to the capital, where his presence was 
imperatively needed, and where none but his strong 
hands would be able to hold the reins of the government 
when the people learned the full extent of their losses in 
the Russian campaign. That return journey was made 
incognito, at the utmost speed, with scarcely a pause, 
save at Warsaw and Dresden, where Napoleon wrote to 
the Austrian Emperor to announce his return. Pressing 
on, he next crossed the Rhine, and on reaching French 
soil determinedly cried : " I am still the Emperor." 

His carriage failing him near home, Napoleon drove 
185 



Empresses of France 

up to the Tuileries in an ordinary stage-coach, at half- 
past eleven at night, on the i8th of December, 1812, 
seven months after his confident departure for the north. 
Only one of his aides was vi^ith him, so the belated 
travellers were not only refused admittance, but had con- 
siderable difficulty in convincing the guards of their 
identity, and in effecting an entrance into the palace. 
Marie Louise, suffering from a heavy cold, had retired in 
a depressed mood that evening, and her lady-in-waiting 
was about to lock all the doors, when two men enveloped 
in furs suddenly entered into her room. To spring for- 
ward and prevent their entrance into the Empress' sacred 
chamber was the work of a moment, and she was about 
to summon the guards, when one of the intruders flung 
aside his cloak, revealing the characteristic face and form 
of the Emperor ! Even while she gasped in speech- 
less surprise at the unexpected apparition of the man 
whom all still deemed in the frozen depths of Russia, 
Napoleon passed hurriedly on into the room of Marie 
Louise, who, alarmed by the sounds next door, had 
already risen and donned her wrapper. 

The official journal duly announced the Emperor's 
return on the next day, and called a council at the 
Tuileries, where Napoleon took a high hand with his 
officials, and indignantly demanded what the Malet 
conspiracy meant? He also took them so roughly to 
task for sundry errors, that he managed to cast the 
blame of the Russian failure entirely upon them and 
upon the inclement weather. But on the morrow he 
seemed to have recovered all his serenity, spoke of the 
disasters his army had encountered as of a mere trifle, 
and again mentioned the coronation of the Empress and 
of the King of Rome, which he declared should take 
place early in spring. ' 

186 



Marie Louise 

After being seven months apart, Napoleon and Marie 
Louise were now almost inseparable, and the Emperor 
seeming more devoted than ever to his little son, who could 
now both walk and talk, and who often ran away from 
his attendants to go in quest of his favourite playfellow. 
Many charming anecdotes are told of this engaging 
little Prince, which, viewed in the light of subsequent 
events, have become of permanent interest. To teach 
the little man obedience to nursery rules. Napoleon, 
it seems, gave strict orders that he should never be 
admitted into his apartments if he came thither alone, 
and Madame d'Abrantes relates the following charming 
scene in her Memoires. One morning the little King 
of Rome came trotting along the corridor, and, looking 
up at the tall officer on guard, imperiously ordered : 
" Open the door for me. I want to see papa ! " 

The officer, true to his instructions, answered gently 
but firmly : " Sire, I cannot open the door for your 
Majesty." 

" Why not ? " demanded the little autocrat. " I am 
the little King." 

At the gentle reminder : " But your Majesty is all 
alone," the golden-haired cherub seemed somewhat non- 
plussed ; but his governess appearing a moment later, 
he seized her hand, and thus protected, stamped his tiny 
foot and cried : " Open the door ! The King wishes 
it!" 

This time, all being in order, the tall officer flung the 
door wide, solemnly announcing : " The King of 
Rome ! " 

Idolised by his father and the people, the King of 
Rome was brought up with judicious care by his gover- 
ness, who, perceiving his violent temper when crossed 
in any way, once ordered all the blinds of the nursery 

187 



Empresses of France 

closed while he lay kicking and screaming on the floor. 
The child, surprised at the sudden darkness, suddenly 
stopped his piercing cries to inquire why the room was 
so dark, and she quietly answered : " So you should not 
be heard. Sire. The French would never want you for 
their king if you were naughty, and I love you too dearly 
to let them hear or see you in such a rage." 

The child, awed by her tone, now timidly inquired : 
" Did I scream very loud ? " and when the governess 
gravely answered : *' Yes, you did," he asked whether she 
thought he had been heard by the people ? He was almost 
broken-hearted, therefore, when she sadly declared : " I 
fear they did ; " and could not be comforted until he had 
crept into her lap and won her forgiveness by promising : 
" I '11 never do so again. Mama Quiou. Forgive me." 
He was so sensitive, proud, and intelligent, that this 
promise was well kept, and Mama Quiou's lesson made 
a deep impression upon his childish brain, besides teach- 
ing him an important lesson in self-control. 

The worst punishment which could be inflicted upon 
him, was to forbid his looking at the soldiers mounting 
guard in the Tuileries' yard ; and when a lady once went 
to call on his governess, and found him scowling in a 
corner, he resentfully pointed to " Mama Quiou," saying : 
" She will not let me look at my papa's soldiers." 

This firmness on the part of his governess was, how- 
ever, a great blessing to the baby King of Rome, who, 
surrounded by courtiers, and naturally high-tempered, 
would have been simply unbearable if spoiled. 

Even Napoleon, indulgent as he was to this only child, 
was anxious to train him properly, and when the boy 
once ran into his study and clambered up into his lap 
without heeding some gentlemen assembled in council 
there, — he had been early taught to kiss his hand and 



Marie Louise 

make a bow, — Napoleon sternly pushed him aside, and 
said : " You did not make your bow, Sire ! Come, 
greet these gentlemen properly." The baby King now 
ducked his curly head and kissed his dimpled hand with 
infantile grace, and the proud father, catching him up in 
his arms, joyfully cried : " Well, gentlemen, I trust no 
one will ever say I neglect my son's education. You 
see he already knows his manners ! " 

Aware of his deep love for this child, many petitioners 
tried to win a hearing through him ; so the King of 
Rome soon learned that the rolls of paper they held 
were intended for him. He, therefore, collected them 
eagerly, and tied them all up in a bundle to carry into 
his father's study, where he proudly delivered them all 
into his keeping. Once, looking out of his window, he 
was deeply impressed by the sight of a small boy in deep 
mourning among the petitioners. In answer to his many 
questions, his governess explained that the little boy was all 
dressed in black because his father had died in Spain, 
fighting for the Emperot, and that he was now asking 
for a pension, so that he and his mamma should have 
enough to eat. This pitiful story so impressed the baby 
King that he eagerly seized the roll of paper the boy 
tendered. But, instead of tying it up in the bundle with 
the others, as usual, he kept it carefully apart. On the 
morrow, when delivering the petitions, he gave Napoleon 
the bundle first, and then, climbing up into his lap, cried : 
" Here, papa, here is the petition of a little boy. His 
papa died for your sake, and his mamma asks for a pen- 
sion because she is very poor and feels so badly." 
Needless to state, that petition was granted ! 

The Emperor loved to have his boy with him indoors 
or out, and sometimes played blindman's buff with him 
on the lawn, where an occasional tumble called forth 



Empresses of France 

peals of laughter from both. Sometimes, too, he would 
give the little King his hat and sword, and lie in the grass, 
watching him strut to and fro in his borrowed trappings. 
But often the sight of this little child called forth re- 
marks such as the one he made to the Duke of Gaete 
at Compiegne, saying : " Behold a child who would have 
been far happier to have been born a private individual 
with a moderate income. He is destined to bear a heavy 
burden upon his shoulders ! " In speaking thus. Napo- 
leon was, of course, referring to the child's probable des- 
tiny, so different, after all, from his real career ! 

Before long, the King of Rome grew so accustomed 
to his father's rough handling, — which he bore without 
a whimper, — and to his queer caresses and noisy dem- 
onstrations, that his governess felt no fear whatever 
when the Emperor once took him to a grand review, 
and, setting him astride his horse, in front of him, pre- 
sented him thus to the soldiers, who gave him a rousing 
cheer. When Marie Louise inquired on their return 
whether the child had been frightened. Napoleon scorn- 
fully exclaimed : " Afraid ! Of course not ! He knew 
he was in the midst of his father's friends ! " This 
reply, coming to the ears of the soldiers, filled their 
hearts with just pride, and when called upon to cry : 
" Vive le roi ! " ( Long live the King ) two years later, 
many of them used to cry heartily : " Vive le roi de 
Rome et son petit papa I " ( Long live the King of Rome 
and his little father), the conclusion being, of course, 
only muttered behind their bristling mustaches. 

As Napoleon always tried to keep his young wife with 
him as much as possible, she rode to Melun with him for 
a hunt, and from thence to Fontainebleau, where they 
spent a week with Pius VH. A prisoner, the Pope was 
here induced to sign the second Concordat, and Marie 

190 



Marie Louise 

Louise wrote to her father : " We have been at Fon- 
tainebleau for the past six days. The Emperor and Pope 
have settled the affairs of Christendom in the very best 
way. The Pope seems very happy. Since yesterday 
morning he has appeared quite joyful and gracious ; he 
signed the treaty in less than a quarter of an hour." But 
when the poor Pope realised how cleverly he had been 
tricked, he recalled this treaty, saying manfully : '' No, I 
will not give up my conscience to recover my crown ! 
1 cannot ! " 

Meantime, new war clouds, looming up on the horizon, 
prevented the coronation of Marie Louise and of the King 
of Rome, which had been set for the 7th of March, 18 13, 
and also ended the work on the baby King's new palace 
on the site of the present Trocadero. Instead, Napoleon 
prepared for war, investing his young wife with the title 
of Regent before he departed. Of course, this title was 
chiefly complimentary, for nothing was done without 
Napoleon's personal knowledge, and his trained officials 
were all at their posts ; but the new dignity pleased and 
occupied Marie Louise, who proudly wrote to her father : 
"You can readily understand how much I am flattered 
by this new proof of the Emperor's confidence." 

Mindful of the Malet conspiracy, the Emperor this 
time arranged everything so that the government could 
run on smoothly even if he were killed, fixing the Em- 
press' dowry at four million francs, and appointing the 
Elysee and Trianons as her dower houses. All his 
measures having thus been taken, he set out, but although 
absent, kept up so lively a correspondence with the 
Tuileries, that he knew every detail of what was going 
on there, and was pleased to learn how well the Regent 
acquitted herself at her first official reception. Still, he 
was no longer an indulgent bridegroom, and did not hesi- 

191 



Empresses of France 

tate to criticise his wife whenever her conduct did not 
suit him, as the following curt letter plainly shows : 

Madame and Dear Friend : I have received the letter in 
which you tell me that you received the Archchancellor in bed. 
My intention is that under no circumstances, and under no pre- 
text, you should receive any one in bed. It is not proper until 
one is past thirty. 

(Signed) Napoleon. 

Meantime, Napoleon had refused to sign a treaty re- 
ducing France to her old dimensions, and not content 
with the victories of Liitzen and Bauzen, postponed 
treating for peace in the hope that a third victory would 
enable him to secure more favourable terms. The flags 
taken from the enemy in these two battles were sent on 
to Paris, where a Te Deum was sung, and where Marie 
Louise then received such an ovation that she wrote to 
her father : " I came home quite moved at the affection 
of the people for the Emperor. Never did the French 
cheer him more heartily. He is conqueror and peace- 
maker ! " 

Marie Louise was wrong, however ; Napoleon was no 
peacemaker, but he made use of a brief armistice to sum- 
mon her to Mayence, wishing to show the Germans how 
well she was treated, and how devotedly she loved him. 
Every detail of this journey was carefully prescribed by 
Napoleon, who kept Marie Louise with him there for a 
week. But while she was pleased to see her husband, and 
outwardly as majestic and serene as ever, she was sorely 
troubled at the possibility of a speedy rupture between 
France and Austria. Still, even this prospect did not 
weaken her affection for her husband, to whom she clung 
tearfully at the moment of parting, and who tenderly em- 
braced her in the presence of the assembled court. 

192 



Marie Louise 

The Emperor having gone, Marie Louise sailed down 
the Rhine in the Prince of Nassau's yacht, and, after visit- 
ing sundry points of interest along the storied river, 
landed at Cologne, and passing through Aix-la-Chapelle, 
returned to St. Cloud. She arrived there on the 9th of 
August, 18 13, and v^as met, as she stepped out of her 
carriage, by her little son, who was thriving, and seemed 
to have grown even during her brief absence. This 
lovely child was now a great centre of attraction, and 
many people came to St. Cloud on purpose to see him 
drive around in his dainty gilt carriage, drawn by two 
snow-white sheep. 

The very day she reached home, Marie Louise went 
out driving with him, and both were cheered enthusiasti- 
cally, and on the 15th of August she returned to Paris 
for the official celebration of the Emperor's birthday. 
There were, as usual, solemn services, receptions, con- 
gratulations, speeches, illuminations, plays, and fireworks, 
but this time the Empress had to appear alone on the 
Tuileries balcony to acknowledge the plaudits of the 
crowd, and therefore could not consider the occasion as 
festive as usual. Marie Louise could not tarry very long 
in Paris, for her own saint's day was to be celebrated by 
the official inauguration of the great basin at Cherbourg. 
A heavy cold caught on this journey somewhat marred 
her enjoyment of this celebration, but still did not prevent 
a joyful return to Paris, for the news of the victory of 
Dresden had roused great popular enthusiasm, and 
kindled a lively hope that the Emperor would soon make 
peace. This joyful anticipation was, however, not to be 
fulfilled, and after being a whole week without tidings, 
Marie Louise suddenly learned that her father had joined 
the coalition, and that it behooved her to go in state to 
the Senate, to appeal to French patriotism, so that the 
VOL. I. — 13 193 



Empresses of France 

present crisis might be faced successfully. Marie Louise 
obeyed, personally delivering the address which Napoleon 
had composed for her, and which concluded with the 
words : 

" Sharing for four years my husband's most intimate 
thoughts, I know by what emotions he would be torn 
on a disgraced throne and wearing a dishonoured crown. 
Frenchmen, your country, your honour, appeal to you ! " 

This speech, made by so young an Empress, was en- 
thusiastically received, the Senate decreeing the immediate 
drafting of two hundred and eighty thousand men. A 
few days later, Marie Louise received one of Napoleon's 
doctored bulletins, twenty flags taken from the enemy, 
and the following official letter dated Frankfort, Novem- 
ber I, 1813. 

Madame and Very Dear Wife : — I send you twenty 
flags taken by our armies at the battles of Wachau, Leipzig, and 
Hanau. This is an homage which I take pleasure in offering 
you. I desire you to see in it a mark of my great satisfaction 
with your conduct during the regency which I entrusted to you. 
This letter having no other purpose, I pray God to keep you in 
his safe and holy keeping. 

(Signed) Napoleon-. 

But the battle of Leipzig, so cursorily mentioned in 
the above missive, was anything but a victory, and the 
flags were sent on merely to pave the way for the Em- 
peror's picturesque return a few days later. Marie 
Louise, hearing two carriages drive up suddenly one even- 
ing, ran in girlish haste to meet her husband, whose 
kindness to her had been all the more marked since 
her father's sudden and unexpected defection. Indeed, 
Napoleon had felt so sure that his marriage with Marie 
Louise made such a move on Austria's part impossible, 

194 




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C/2 



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Marie Louise 

that he was entirely unprepared for it, — a grievous mis- 
take which was to cost him his crown. 

But however sore he might feel over what he did not 
hesitate to term Austrian treachery, Napoleon was care- 
ful never to utter a word against the Emperor of Austria 
in Marie Louise's presence, laid no check upon her 
correspondence, — which continued almost as regularly 
as if the countries were still at peace, — and was un- 
usually quick to resent anything which sounded like a 
criticism of his wife. The news of the crushing defeat 
he had suffered at Leipzig could not, however, remain 
hidden ; but although the Emperor still seemed undaunted, 
Marie Louise was sorely depressed and often in tears, 
and the people openly begged for peace. This longing 
extended from hut to palace, and Napoleon, stealing into 
his son's nursery one evening, overheard the little one 
pray : " Dear God, inspire papa with a wish to make 
peace, for the happiness of France and of us all." 
Napoleon smiled when he heard this childish prayer ; 
but he made no remark, for he well knew that Madame 
de Montesquiou would do what she thought right, 
regardless of his displeasure, and, besides, he also felt 
that the boy's prayer was only a faint echo of count- 
less others breathed all over his realm. But his pride 
forbade his yielding to the general desire until he had 
retrieved his recent losses, and he longed to enhance his 
glory by new triumphs. Still he could not but perceive 
that the anniversary of Austerlitz and of his coronation 
was not celebrated with as much enthusiasm as usual, 
and in his speech at the opening of the Legislative 
Assembly on the 19th of December, he felt it necessary 
to remind the people of their duty to their country, 
proudly concluding : " I am confident that the French 
will ever be worthy of themselves and of me," 

195 



Empresses of France 

Two days later, the invasion of France began, and as 
popular dissatisfaction became more marked, and Napo- 
leon's perplexities and work increased, he grew weary 
and irritable. But while he sometimes admitted in 
private that he had been too prone to war in the past, 
he hotly defended his policy in public. Still, in the 
state reception in the Tuileries on the ist of January, 
1 8 14, he expressed a firm intention soon to conclude 
peace as the people wished, even if he were forced to 
sacrifice his dearest ambition of making France the 
greatest power in the world. 

Even in the midst of perplexities which prevented his 
devoting more than three hours to rest, and of the 
anxieties which he did not strive to conceal from his 
old friends or from Josephine, Napoleon always wore a 
cheerful countenance before Marie Louise, encouraging 
her in the belief that his difficulties with Austria were 
merely temporary, and that a reconciliation would soon 
ensue. The fact was, however, that the situation was 
so precarious that he was very glad to be reconciled to 
his brothers Joseph and Louis, whom he now implored 
to stand by his wife and child should any evil befall 
him. 

On the 24th of January, almost on the eve of his 
departure to check the invaders. Napoleon summoned 
the officers of the National Guard to the Hall of Mar- 
shals in the Tuileries. There ,he suddenly appeared 
before them, with the Empress and the King of Rome, 
solemnly placed them under their protection, and point- 
ing to the wondering child concluded his speech by 
saying : *' I entrust him to your care, gentlemen, I 
entrust him to the loving care of my faithful city of 
Paris." The unexpected presence of a young woman 
and of an innocent child, and the eloquent falter in the 

196 



Marie Louise 

Emperor's voice when he mentioned his wife and son, 
touched the chord which vibrates so strongly in every 
human heart, and one and all solemnly swore to be 
loyal to the trust he reposed in them, and to defend his 
family as faithfully as their own. 

Before leaving, the Emperor again appointed his wife 
Regent, with Joseph as her main adviser, giving that 
brother minute instructions how to proceed in every 
emergency. Then, two days after the moving scene in 
the Hall of Marshals, the Emperor left the Tuileries, at 
7 A. M., bidding an affectionate farewell to the wife and 
son whom he was never to see again ! 

Although they had been married nearly four years, 
Marie Louise had only spent two years and eight months 
with her husband ; but she wept profusely on bidding 
him adieu, while she felt secretly aggrieved to per- 
ceive how the mere prospect of a struggle invigorated 
him, making him appear ten years younger. Still, her 
position as Regent, prevented her devoting much time 
to moping or seclusion, for on the very next day she had 
to receive a deputation from the National Guard, headed 
by General Moncey, bearing a loyal address which they 
requested her to forward to the Emperor, so that he 
might know he could rely upon their faithful services. 
The Empress, having been notified of their coniing, had 
prepared a long and touching appeal to their patriotism, 
but the Archchancellor would not allow her to deliver 
this, lest the people should grow frightened and deem 
the situation more desperate than it was. Marie Louise, 
therefore, had to content herself with the customary 
dignified acknowledgment, which, however, only fostered 
the popular belief in her coldness and lack of sympathy. 

In spite of protestations, it was nevertheless clear that 
the end could not be far away, unless a decided change soon 

197 



Empresses of France 

occurred ; for many had already deserted the sinking Im- 
perial cause, and others would soon follow. Successive 
important defections made Napoleon keenly realise that 
his worst fears might yet perchance be verified, and the 
enemy press on to the gates of Paris ; but although he 
would now fain have made peace, the only conditions the 
coalition would grant seemed to him too humiliating to 
accept. When he next wrote to his brother, therefore, 
he emphatically renewed his instructions, that should he 
be either defeated or killed, Joseph must remove both Em- 
press and King of Rome to Rambouillet, or some other 
place of safety, adding : " For my own part, I had rather 
my son should have his throat cut, than ever see him 
brought up in Vienna as an Austrian Prince ; and I have 
high enough an opinion of the Empress to be sure that 
she shares these views as far as a woman and a mother 
can." 

And yet Napoleon himself was not quite hopeless, for 
a new plan he had suddenly devised, brought about a 
series of small victories, which gave a brighter aspect to 
his fortunes. The news of these successes reached 
the Tuileries, when Joseph was reviewing the National 
Guards, who cheered madly when they heard it, to the 
great delight of the little King of Rome, gazing at 
them from his nursery window, and who now received a 
spontaneous ovation. 

The flags captured at the recent engagements were 
sent to the capital, where the Minister of War publicly 
laid them at the Empress' feet. She received them 
graciously, answering his formal speech by saying : 
" It is with keen emotion that I behold these tro- 
phies which you present to me in obedience to the 
orders of the Emperor, my august spouse. In my eyes 
they are pledges of the safety of the country. May all the 

198 



Marie Louise 

French rise in arms on seeing them ! May they gather 
in throngs around their sovereign and father ! Their 
courage, directed by his genius, will soon accomplish the 
deliverance of our territory." 

In his anxiety to leave nothing undone which might 
save the country. Napoleon now wrote a very clever letter 
to the Emperor of Austria, clearly explaining the posi- 
tion, and appealing so strongly to his sense of honour 
and fatherly affections, that Francis was almost per- 
suaded to withdraw from the coalition and sign a separate 
peace with his son-in-law. 

Marie Louise, also, strove to detach her father from 
the coalition, and although she had never interfered in 
political matters before, now wrote : " It is poor policy 
to force a disgraceful peace upon us, for it cannot last. 
Imagine, my dear father, in what a state I am. It 
would be a blow I could not survive. Therefore, I 
beseech you, dear father, remember me and my son. 
You know how much I love you, and how strongly I 
flatter myself that I enjoy your paternal affection. . . . 
It depends upon you only to end my anxiety. You 
will do so, won't you ? " 

But this letter was of no avail either, and while the 
Regency considered the peace proposals made by the 
Congress of Chatillon, — which Napoleon scorned, — 
he won a new victory. Joseph now implored him to 
make use of this advantage to secure peace through his 
wife's intercession, but he proudly answered : " I do not 
wish to be protected by my wife ; this idea would spoil 
her and divide us. What is the use of such talk ? Let 
her lead her own life ; speak to her only about what she 
must know in order to affix her signature; and, above 
all, avoid everything which could make her think I 
desire to be protected by her or by her father. . . . Be- 

199 



Empresses of France 

sides, all that can only disturb her and injure her 
excellent disposition." 

Napoleon fought his last battle in this fatal campaign 
at Arcis-sur-Aube, and, finding the day going against 
him, did all he could to be killed, even riding up to a 
bursting shell, which, exploding, slew his horse but left 
him unharmed. This disappointed him greatly, for 
while he knew the bulk of the army still idolised him, 
and would follow him blindly, he fully realised that his 
officers were weary of warfare and would soon desert 
his cause. 

Meantime, Marie Louise had remained in Paris anx- 
iously awaiting letters and instructions from Napoleon 
which failed to appear, and constantly dreading to re- 
ceive tidings of his death, for she knew he would not be 
willing to survive his downfall. By great mischance, a 
letter in which the Emperor described his last plan for the 
safety of the capital, fell into the hands of the enemy, who 
were thus enabled to frustrate his aims entirely. This 
letter was then forwarded to the Empress, who perused 
with terror the ominous sentence : " This step saves me 
or ruins me." 

She was now in a sad predicament. Young and in- 
experienced herself, she felt no confidence in her hus- 
band's brothers, although their insight at that time 
proved clearer than Napoleon's, for already, on the i6th 
of March, Louis wrote to his brother, saying : " If your 
Majesty does not sign peace, you may be sure that your 
government will not last more than three weeks. It 
needs only a little coolness and common-sense to judge 
of the state of affairs." This truthful yet tactless letter 
only made Napoleon still more reluctant to yield, for he 
never could brook adverse criticism, however well meant. 

In her perplexity, the young Empress — she was not 
200 



Marie Louise 

yet twenty-two — called a council at the Tuileries, on 
the 28th of March, 18 14, and there asked the advice 
of many men of note besides Joseph, Talleyrand, and 
Cambaceres. But opinions varied greatly, and while 
some advocated the young Regent's taking her son in 
her arms and appealing to the people, like Marie Therese, 
others urged her instant departure from Paris. They 
were hotly discussing the pros and cons of this question, 
when Joseph suddenly produced Napoleon's letter of 
February 8th, and a later missive dated March i6th, 
wherein he said : " You must not let the Empress and 
the King of Rome fall into the enemy's hands. . . . 
Do not abandon my son, and remember that I had 
rather know him in the Seine, than in the hands of the 
enemies of France. The fate of Astyanax, a prisoner 
among the Greeks, has always seemed to me the most 
melancholy in history ! " 

Marie Louise, trained to implicit obedience to parental 
or marital commands, no sooner heard these letters read, 
than she declared no choice remained, and that she 
would leave with her son at eight o'clock on the mor- 
row, unless contrary orders arrived in the interval, add- 
ing : " Even if I were to fall into the Seine, as the 
Emperor said, I should not hesitate for a moment about 
leaving. A wish which he has formally expressed, is for 
me an order." 

So far, Marie Louise had behaved like a model wife, 
mother, and Frenchwoman ; but the people, who could 
not forget that she was an Austrian, were suspicious of 
her, and the first rumours of her coming departure 
awakened grave apprehensions. All that night the 
palace was closely observed, and the watchers soon 
perceived by the lights flitting incessantly to and fro 
behind the windows, that Senate and court were pre- 

201 



Empresses of France 

paring to accompany the Empress and King of Rome. 
Not only were the most important papers, the principal 
art treasures, the crown jewels and court garments 
hastily packed for removal, but a treasure of about ten 
millions in specie formed part of the Empress' baggage 
train. 

At 7 A. M., in the dull grey light of a March morn- 
ing, the packing was all finished, and Marie Louise and 
her son arrayed for the journey. But although she had 
already donned her brown travelling suit, and the car- 
riages were at the door, ready loaded, the Empress 
lingered, loath to depart, and still hoping that the 
Emperor would send more definite orders. 

The officers of the National Guard, who had so 
solemnly promised to defend her and the King of 
Rome, now appeared to urge her to remain with them, 
justly alleging that her departure might create a panic 
among the people, who considered her presence a guar- 
antee of safety, and would remain true to the Emperor 
as long as she was in their midst. These arguments, 
backed by extravagant protestations of devotion, shook 
the Empress' resolution for a moment, and while her 
chief advisers again excitedly discussed what she had 
better do, she withdrew to her chamber. The nervous 
strain she had undergone, proved too great for a char- 
acter not steeled by education, circumstances, or age, 
and, petulantly flinging off her wraps, Marie Louise sanlt"^ 
into a chair, buried her face in her hands, and wept help- 
lessly, crying : " Goodness ! If they would only make up 
their minds and end this agony ! " 

The three-year-old King, who had been brought to 
his mother equipped for the journey, but whom the un- 
wonted bustle and noise troubled and confused, caught a 
word here and there which mysteriously alarmed him. 



Marie Louise 

An unusually precocious child, he began to ponder over 
them, and when, shortly before twelve, a move was 
finally made, he suddenly burst into a passion of tears, 
and, clinging convulsively to doors and railings, obsti- 
nately refused to leave the palace, screaming in his 
terror : " Don't go to Rambouillet. It is an ugly old 
castle. Let us stay here. I don't want to leave my 
house. I don't want to go away. Now that papa is 
absent, I am master here ! " 

Reasoning, bribery, and persuasion proving equally 
unavailing, one of the officers seized the struggling child 
to carry him down to the waiting carriage, his governess 
following closely, to unclasp the baby fingers which 
clutched frantically at every object in reach. This 
stormy scene, on the part of a child whom they had 
never seen otherwise than gentle and obedient, struck 
many of the spectators as an evil omen, and since then 
many people have wondered whether this vehement pro- 
test was not prophetic instinct on the part of the baby 
King of Rome, who was leaving for ever the palace 
where his birth had been welcomed with rapture three 
years before. 

It was raining dismally, and when the long line of 
carriages drove slowly away from the Tuileries on that 
29th of March, it really did look like " the funeral of an 
empire." Talleyrand, who was so soon to turn open 
traitor, made the cynical remark : " Well, so that 's the 
way this glorious reign was to end. To finish his career 
like an adventurer, instead of ending peacefully upon the 
greatest of thrones, and after having given his name to 
his century. . . . What an end ! " 

Marie Louise, driving away in the rain with her 
reluctant son, — although she did not then suspect that 
vail was over, — must have thought this departure offered 

203 



Empresses of France 

a sad contrast to her arrival, four years before, at 
Napoleon's side, for the religious marriage at the Louvre. 
But anything seemed preferable to the agonising sus- 
pense of the last few hours, and the journey continued 
peaceably, the people staring at the string of carriages in 
apathetic wonder or hopeless despair. After a night 
spent at Rambouillet, Marie Louise, alarmed by new 
tidings, went on to Chartres, Vendome, and Blois, where 
she arrived on the 2nd of April. Being joined there by 
her councillors and all the officers of the state, she pre- 
sided over the Regency meetings with praiseworthy 
regularity, although by this time even she, in her 
ignorance, could perceive that matters were pretty hope- 
less. She, therefore, spent some very anxious days and 
nights at Blois, hovering between hope and despair, 
anxiously awaiting definite instructions from the Emperor, 
and issuing her last proclamation, which ended thus : 
" You will be faithful to your oath. You will heed the 
voice of a princess who was entrusted to your fidelity, 
and who glories in being a Frenchwoman. My son was 
less sure of your hearts in the day of our prosperity." 

But, alas ! all was already over in France for her, 
because, in spite of General Moncey's heroic defence, 
Paris had been forced to surrender. The Emperor, has- 
tening to his capital to make a last stand, learned at the 
same hour the surrender of the city and the departure of 
the Empress, both of which pieces of news surprised 
him greatly. Still he was glad to hear that Marie Louise 
was safe, and cried : " Yes, I wanted her to go, for 
Heaven knows what her inexperience might not have 
induced her to do ! " 

Nevertheless, he still deluded himself with the belief 
that a sudden, bold move might yet save him, and sent 

204 



p 




The King of Rome, 1S14. 



Marie Louise 

one of his faithful followers to Paris to treat with 
the enemy, while he withdrew to Fontainebleau, where 
he was to remain from March 31st to April 20th, and 
suffer all " the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." 

Marie Louise at Blois, surrounded by her household, 
maintained the appearance of a court where the usual 
etiquette was rigidly preserved, and none dared tell her 
of the successive defections which left her husband de- 
fenceless, and of the fatal effect her own flight had pro- 
duced in the capital. On Palm Sunday, April 3rd, the 
Empress attended Mass, and on the selfsame day Napo- 
leon wrote urging her to implore her father and Metter- 
nich to support the Regency, advising her to flee with 
her son to Emperor Francis, who would surely never 
suffer them to be robbed of their crown. 

The next day, on the 4th of April, yielding to the 
advice of his few remaining friends. Napoleon signed his 
abdication at Fontainebleau, on the round mahogany 
table which bears an inscription to that effect, and which 
is still shown to visitors. This paper — his first abdi- 
cation in favour of his son — stated that " The Allied 
Powers having proclaimed that the Emperor Napoleon 
was the sole obstacle to the re-establishment of peace in 
Europe, the Emperor Napoleon, faithful to his oath, de- 
clares that he is ready to descend from the throne, to 
leave France, and even to die for the good of his coun- 
try, inseparable from the rights of his son, from those 
of the Empress' Regency, and the maintenance of the 
laws of the Empire. Done at Fontainebleau, April 4th, 
1814." 

But although Napoleon believed the Empire could 
yet be saved for his son, it was already too late, for 
Marmont had deserted his cause, and the Bourbons had 
been summoned back to France, thanks to the machi- 

205 



Empresses of France 

nations of the royalist party, now openly headed by 
Talleyrand. The very day that Napoleon signed his 
abdication, Marie Louise wrote to her father, saying : 
" Our position is so gloomy and alarming that my son 
and I have no other refuge than you. I am sure that at 
this moment you alone can aid us. I am convinced that 
you will listen to my prayer, and will refuse to sacrifice 
to England and Russia my peace and the interests of 
your grandson. . . . Paris would have been defended 
more seriously, if it had not been thought that it was 
attacked by you, and that you would not abandon your 
daughter and your grandson. Hence, I entrust myself to 
your hands, dear father ; I am sure that you will save us 
from this terrible situation. ... I entrust to you the 
safety of what I hold dearest in the world, a son too 
young to know sorrow or grief." 

Poor Marie Louise could not go straight to her father 
as Napoleon advised, for she did not then know where 
he was, and feared to fall into the hands of the Russian 
or Prussian troops. Her only hope was none the less in 
that weak-minded father, who had already once sacrificed 
his daughter to his enemy, and who, thanks to his advisers, 
was now about to sacrifice both her and his grandson. 
In fact, the Austrians cynically remarked when some one 
mentioned Marie Louise : " The marriage, the marriage, 
politics made it, politics could undo it." 

Although not aware, as yet, of all the perils of her 
position, Marie Louise was very anxious, and spent days 
and nights in tears, regretting having consented to leave 
the capital, and crying ; " Those who thought I should 
have stayed in Paris were right ; my father's soldiers 
would, perhaps, not have driven me away." But when 
some of her followers advised her to return to the capi- 
tal before it was too late, she dared not follow this advice. 

206 



Marie Louise 

Besides, every once in a while, she wondered whether 
it were not her duty to join the Emperor at Fontainebleau, 
and she once said : " My place is at the Emperor's side 
when he is so unhappy. I desire to go to him, and I 
shall be happy anywhere, provided I am with him." 

But these impulses, encouraged by Madame de 
Montesquiou and Madame de Montebello, were never 
of long duration, and Marie Louise, who had never 
been obliged to make up her own mind, left alone with 
people who had no authority over her, wavered and 
wept, and did nothing. She was, however, willing and 
ready to do as she was told, and openly wondered that 
Napoleon should abandon her thus to her own devices. 
There were, however, three good reasons for this con- 
duct : first, he fancied that if left entirely to the Emperor 
of Austria, Marie Louise and his son would receive 
better treatment at the Allies' hands than if he inter- 
fered. Second, he dreaded seeing Marie Louise, whom 
he rightly considered a fair-weather wife, and, in the 
third place, he " wished to remain free for the plan 
he was considering." Marie Louise, who suspected that 
this might be some bold move which her presence might 
hinder or jeopardise, dared not move, and therefore 
passively awaited her fate. 

Hers was indeed a trying position for so young a 
woman, but like most placid, unenergetic natures, there 
was, nevertheless, a vein of obstinacy in her character ; 
it suddenly revealed itself when her Council tried to 
make her remove to Orleans, so as to rally the remains 
of the Imperial army around her, and perchance even yet 
retrieve all that had been lost. Her brothers-in-law then 
insisted more vehemently than usual, and finally threat- 
ened to remove her and her son by force ; but Mane 
Louise fled to her apartment, and, sending for De Bausset 

207 



Empresses of France 

hysterically, cried : " My two brothers and their arch- 
chancellor are there, in that room. They have just told 
me I must leave Blois at once, and that if I resist 
they vi^ill have me put into the carriage with my son ! " 

Seeing her agitation, the Prefect of the Palace quietly 
and respectfully asked : " May I ask your Majesty what 
is your wish ? " 

" I wish to remain here, and await the Emperor's 
instructions," answered the unhappy Empress. So De 
Bausset immediately declared that he would uphold her, 
and went to inform Joseph and Louis that his mistress 
would not leave. As the enemy were advancing rapidly, 
several of the senators now bade the Empress farewell, 
and the semblance of a government, which had been 
rigidly maintained at Blois until the 7th of April, was 
then allowed to lapse. 

On Good PViday, April 8th, only three hours after 
Marie Louise's final refusal to accompany the fleeing 
courtiers, the Russian General Schouwaloff entered Blois 
with his troops, ostensibly to protect the Empress and 
King of Rome, but in reality to guard them closely, 
prevent their joining the Emperor, and escort them on to 
Orleans. But before leaving Blois, Marie Louise again 
wrote to her father and husband, and concealed upon 
her own and her attendants' persons the crown-jewels, 
which she feared might else be stolen on the way. Then, 
accompanied by her son. Napoleon's mother, two of his 
brothers and their wives, Marie Louise set out, under 
foreign escort, for Orleans, where she was still received 
as a sovereign, but where she soon perceived that her 
sway was over, for her treasures and crown-jewels 
were confiscated, as well as much of her own private 
property. 

On Easter Sunday, Marie Louise sadly attended Mass 
208 



Marie Louise 

at Orleans, and after the service bade farewell to the 
Bonapartes, and to most of her attendants, who tried to 
cheer her by congratulating her upon the just received 
news that the Allies promised to confer upon her the 
sovereignty of Parma. But Marie Louise's heart was 
sorely oppressed, and her health seriously affected by 
the anxieties of the past few months. Besides, her 
suspense concerning Napoleon was harder to bear than 
any certainty, and even Meneval, her secretary, was full 
of forebodings, for he had received a letter wherein 
Napoleon hinted that he intended to commit suicide. 
Meneval, who had been the Emperor's secretary for 
years, and who was deeply attached to his master, now 
began a correspondence with his successor. Baron Fain, 
who really wrote under Napoleon's dictation, although, 
for safety's sake, the letters did not bear his signature. 

This daily correspondence, however, only increased 
Marie Louise's perplexities, for while Napoleon said his 
wife and son should join him on the way to Elba, — 
which was henceforth to be his sole kingdom, — he gave 
no definite instructions how they were to do so. One 
of these letters states : '' The Emperor is very well, 
for, as I have already told you, his health is not affected 
by his moral sufferings. He hopes to hear that the 
Empress is becoming consoled, and that she expects to 
be happy in the humble condition to which she is reduced. 
The Emperor is glad that the Empress is to have Parma 
and Piacenza, because her independence is thereby as- 
sured, and she will have the most beautiful country in 
the world to live in, if she grows tired of the rocks of 
Elba; while Elba is a retreat that can suit the Emperor 
only, for he no longer wishes to rule anywhere." 

At first, Marie Louise seemed eager to join Napoleon ; 
but the talk of the people around her already began to 
VOL. I. — 14 209 



Empresses of France 

undermine this resolution, and commenced the work of 
alienating her affections from Napoleon, — a work 
planned by Metternich and Talleyrand, who were soon 
to pursue it with more vigour. Only a few people around 
her now ventured to remind her of her duty, and, as 
neither Napoleon nor her father sent any definite instruc- 
tions, she felt as helpless as a cork tossed amid the 
waves, and cried in despair : " I am really to be pitied ! 
Some advise me to go ; others to stay. I write to the 
Emperor, and he does not answer my questions. He 
tells me to write to my father, but what will my father 
say, after he has allowed me to be treated with such 
contumely ? I am abandoned, and I commit myself to 
Providence. It advised me wisely when it counselled 
me to become a canoness. I should never have come to 
this country. . . . Go to the Emperor ? But I cannot 
go without my son, who is only safe with me. . . . On 
the other hand, if the Emperor fears an attack on his 
life, — which is very probable, — and has to take to 
flight, the embarrassment I should cause him might make 
him fall into the hands of the foe, who, I have no doubt, 
desire his death. I don't know what to do ; I am 
broken-hearted. ... I can understand that people 
should hate me in this country, yet I am not to blame. 
Why did my father marry me off, if he entertained the 
plans he is now carrying out ? " 

Poor Marie Louise was then indeed in sad straits, and 
she certainly cannot be blamed if she did not possess 
either the firmness or energy necessary to meet her per- 
plexing fate. On the nth, she sent another letter to 
the Emperor, who exclaimed upon reading it : " Dear 
Louise," but again avoided giving her any definite 
answer. The poor man had many perplexities of his 
own, for that day Caulaincourt brought him a treaty, 

2IO 



Marie Louise 

which he refused to sign, because he considered it sim- 
ply degrading. Such was Napoleon's mental suffering, 
that in the middle of that night he tried to execute a 
long-cherished plan, and attempted suicide by swallowing 
some poison which his own physician had given him in 
Russia. But the drug had lost its strength, and merely 
made him so violently ill that he had to rouse his attend- 
ants. At first, thinking death near, he gave them a few 
last messages ; but finally, seeing he would continue to 
live, he bitterly cried : " Everything has betrayed me, 1 
am condemned to go on living." This despondent mood 
soon changed, however. The man whom no misfortune 
could daunt for any length of time, soon persuaded him- 
self that fate must have further designs upon him, and 
therefore resigned himself to live, saying : " God does 
not want me to die." 

Then, ashamed of this cowardly attempt to escape his 
misfortunes, he enjoined such strict silence upon his fol- 
lowers, that several insisted as long as he lived that the 
reported attempt at suicide was merely a violent attack 
of indigestion, such as had frequently affected him. 
Although pale and weak. Napoleon rose the next morn- 
ing as usual, and amid the respectful silence of a few 
faithful friends signed the treaty he abhorred. This 
done, he began to plan for the future, sending Caulain- 
court to escort Marie Louise to him, in case she still 
v^rished to come, but bidding him use neither persuasions 
nor coercion, saying : " I know women w^ell, and espe- 
cially my wife. Instead of the court of France, such as 
I had made it, to offer her a prison is a very great trial. 
If she were to bring a sad face or to appear bored, I 
would be inconsolable. I prefer solitude to the sight 
of melancholy. If her inclinations lead her to me, I will 
receive her with open arms j if not, let her remain in 

211 



Empresses of France 

Parma, or Florence, wherever she reigns, in short. I 
will claim nothing from her except my son." 

This speech reveals not only his low estimate of 
woman's character, but the unbending pride which could 
not brook the thought of asking his wife to share a 
less brilliant lot with him than that which he had offered 
her at first. But while the sight of her and her son 
would undoubtedly have enhanced the pangs he suffered, 
it would, nevertheless, have been a salve to his pride to 
demonstrate to Europe and posterity, that the wife who 
had been forced to marry him, had learned to love him 
too well to forsake him now that his future was dimmed. 
This satisfaction, which was to fall to the lot of his 
brother Jerome, was, however, denied to him, and 
whereas his brother's wife has earned the admiration of 
posterity by her constancy, Marie Louise has only earned 
the world's pitying contempt. 

Unfortunately, Caulaincourt did not reach Marie Louise 
until she was surrounded by Russians, who would probably 
have prevented her departure had she attempted to join 
her husband. Napoleon, therefore, proceeded to prepare 
for his journey, bidding farewell to the friends who 
came to see him, and gladly receiving from Isabey a 
recent portrait of his wife and son, which he was to take 
with him into exile. He also wrote sundry letters to his 
wife, expressing his sympathy with her sufferings, and 
saying in his last epistle from Fontainebleau : " You can 
always count on the courage, the calmness, and the 
friendship of your husband Napoleon. A kiss to the 
little King." 

Napoleon required all the courage and calmness pos- 
sible, not only to face the affecting farewells at Fontaine- 
bleau, but also to endure the awful scenes he encountered 
on his way to the coast. But before setting out from 

212 



Marie Louise 

Frejus, he wrote to Dr. Corvisard, thanking him once 
more for his devoted care of his wife and child, and 
saying : " Give me news of Marie Louise, and never 
doubt my affection for you." The next day he em- 
barked on an English frigate, which conveyed him and 
his followers to the Island of Elba, where he landed on the 
4th of May, 1814, amid the cheers of the happy people. 

In the meantime, Marie Louise had left Orleans on 
the I ith, and gone on to Rambouillet, where she received 
her father's ardently expected visit on the i6th of April. 
He came, accompanied by Metternich only, and as soon 
as he alighted Marie Louise fairly thrust the little King 
into his arms, tearfully imploring his protection for them 
both. Then, controlling her emotion with difficulty, she 
led him to her private apartment, where they had a long 
conversation together. But although the Emperor of 
Austria spent the night at Rambouillet, and they thus 
had plenty of time to discuss plans, he was careful not 
to tell her that she was to be parted from her husband 
for ever, but merely advised her to visit Vienna before 
going to the baths Corvisard prescribed to restore her 
impaired health. Francis also wrote a friendly letter to 
Napoleon, announcing this decision, although in all the 
discussions with the Allies he showed himself most 
hostile to his son-in-law, who owed all the provisions for 
his own and his family's comfort and safety to the gen- 
erosity of his former friend, Alexander, Czar of Russia. 

Indeed, had not Alexander been influenced by Talley- 
rand and Madame Kriidener — a friend of Madame de 
Stael and hence Napoleon's bitter enemy — it is likely 
he would have favoured Marie Louise's Regency, for he 
was a very chivalrous monarch. He visited her at Ram- 
bouillet, where he also paid his respects to the " little 
King," and the King of Prussia immediately followed this 

213 



Empresses of France 

example, being equally charmed by Napoleon's son. Poor 
little fellow, although only three, his precocious mind 
already took note of some of the changes around him, for 
he once gravely remarked : " Oh, I see very well I am no 
longer King, for I have no more pages ! " 

On the 23rd of April, three days after Napoleon's de- 
parture for Elba, Marie Louise left Rambouillet and set 
out for Austria. Although no longer Empress of 
France, she still travelled in state, no less than twenty- 
four carriages being required to convey her attendants 
and baggage. This journey home, however, contrasted 
sorely with her arrival ; for she now passed through a 
country devastated by war, and ruin and poverty met her 
eye instead of prosperity and rejoicing. During this 
voyage she openly preferred French language and at- 
tendants, and while she herself seldom mentioned the 
Emperor, — for Metternich had cleverly insinuated that 
she had never been loved, — the others spoke of him 
very freely. Indeed, Madame de Montesquiou diligently 
strove to keep his memory green with both mother and 
child by frequent references to him, and carefully taught 
the boy to pray for his father night and morning. 

The French frontier once crossed, Marie Louise's 
journey lost much of its lugubrious aspect ; and, as she 
drew near Vienna, it assumed a festive appearance, until 
it seemed, as one of the spectators said, as if " Austria, 
forced to lend temporarily an adored princess, was cele- 
brating her return as a victory." In Tyrol, the horses 
were even unharnessed, so that the people themselves 
could drag the carriage ; and when Marie Louise re-entered 
Schonbrunn, she was escorted by her stepmother, who 
had kindly come to meet her, and surrounded by all her 
family, who warmly congratulated her upon her return 
into their midst. 

214 



Marie Louise 

Marie Louise, with all a cat's sensuous love of 
material comfort and wonted surroundings, soon resumed 
the quiet life of her girlhood days, until it almost seemed 
as if she had never left Austria. Drawing, painting, and 
music again beguiled many hours, and she diligently 
studied the Italian language, so as to be able to address 
her new subjects fluently when she reached Parma. 
But her life was extremely quiet and retired, although 
many people were curious to behold her, and went to 
Schonbrunn on purpose to see the King of Rome, whose 
graceful salutations charmed everybody, and who was 
unanimously pronounced " the handsomest child in the 
world ! " 

But, however calm and contented in outward appear- 
ance, Marie Louise was impatiently awaiting her father's 
return, and as soon as she heard he was coming, she 
sallied forth to meet him. He embraced her affec- 
tionately ; but when she anxiously inquired what he would 
do for her, coldly answered, " that, as his daughter, all that 
he had was hers, but as a sovereign, he did not know her." 
This was sad news for Marie Louise, who now began to 
fear lest she might lose Parma as well as France, a pros- 
pect which dismayed her greatly, for she was pleasure- 
loving and egotistical in the extreme, and had been look- 
ing forward pleasurably to her life in Parma, where she 
would be first, and no longer the mere satellite of some 
great planet as she had been at the Tuileries. 

The Emperor of Austria, after spending the night 
with her at Schonbrunn, made his triumphal entrance into 
Vienna on the following day, to attend a solemn Te 
Deum, and receive his people's congratulations on his 
victorious return. Of course, Marie Louise took no 
part in this solemnity, but remained quietly at Schon- 
brunn, where her father soon joined her again with the 

215 



Empresses of France 

rest of the family, and where all set diligently to work to 
wean her affections from Napoleon, and obliterate all trace 
and recollection of the four years she had spent in 
France. 

This was a very congenial task for the Empress of 
Austria j but, strange to relate. Napoleon found his warm- 
est advocate in Marie Louise's grandmother, the ex- 
Queen of Naples, whom he had despoiled of a throne. 
A generous adversary, she owned her hatred for Napo- 
leon, but openly declared that, "when one is married it is 
for life," and urged that since her relatives would not 
allow Marie Louise to leave Vienna openly, she ought 
to tie her sheets together, escape by her window, and join 
her husband at any cost. She, alone, among the Aus- 
trians encouraged Marie Louise to wear Napoleon's 
picture, to speak of him, write to him, and, above all, 
remain faithful to him now that he was unfortunate, 
were it only for duty's sake. But heroics were not in 
Marie Louise's line ; she found it far easier to yield to 
the general pressure; and when her grandmother 
upbraided her, and indignantly inquired : " What will the 
world say of you ? It will judge you harshly ! " she 
merely wept. 

When driven to bay by this energetic grandmother, 
Marie Louise began to temporise, saying she would wait 
until she reached Parma, where she would be her own 
mistress, and could therefore act as she pleased. Still she 
was glad to escape from her admonitions by going to 
Savoy, where she insisted upon taking the baths that Dr. 
Corvisard had recommended before she left France. 
This journey, however, was opposed by the Austrians 
and by Napoleon, for they both feared the ex-Empress 
might be insulted in France ; but Marie Louise's charac- 
teristic gentle obstinacy won the day, and she finally 

216 



Marie Louise 

departed for Aix, although forced to leave her son in 
Vienna under Madame de Montesquiou's care. As 
Metternich feared that Napoleon's friends might yet 
win Marie Louise's ear, and undo the work begun, he 
selected General Neipperg — whom Marie Louise had 
already seen at Dresden and Prague — to continue the 
alienating process which he and Talleyrand had planned. 

Count Neipperg, an Austrian by birth, was a very 
clever diplomat who hated Napoleon bitterly, and who had 
helped to effect his overthrow by inducing Bernadotte, 
King of Sweden, and Murat, King of Naples, to join the 
coalition against him. Similar wiles had, however, failed 
a little later with Eugene de Beauharnais, who, when 
sounded by this smooth tempter, frankly cried : " I don't 
understand politics ; but if it is true that the Emperor has 
abdicated, let us not lose a minute, but join our troops 
and go and uphold the authority of the Empress Regent 
and of her son ! " 

This was the man whom Metternich selected to 
mount guard over Marie Louise, instructing him to 
estrange her from her husband at any price, and authoris- 
ing him to use all and any means necessary to accomplish that 
purpose. When Neipperg asked what these directions 
implied, Metternich brutally bade him " please that 
woman and become her paramour," an order which this 
forty-year-old man gladly undertook to carry out. 

The Austrian general, therefore, joined Marie Louise 
with a small force of soldiers when she drew near Aix, for 
the ostensible purpose of protecting her from possible insult, 
and acted as her chamberlain during the brief absence of 
some of her French attendants. A slender, handsome, 
curly-haired blond, of courtly address and consummate 
cleverness, he nevertheless produced a disagreeable im- 
pression upon Marie Louise at first, because he had lost 

217 



Empresses of France 

one eye in , battle, and wore a startling black patch to 
conceal its absence. But Marie Louise soon grew ac- 
customed to this peculiarity, and, yielding gradually to his 
seductive arguments, became in time fully convinced that 
she would best further her husband's and son's interests 
if she obeyed her father implicitly until her own affairs 
were settled and she was safely installed in Parma. 
Neipperg proceeded so cautiously, that even Marie 
Louise's French attendants did not at first perceive 
his aim, and the Empress herself still wrote, on the an- 
niversary of the Emperor's birthday : " How can I be 
happy on the 15th, when I am obliged to spend this day, 
so solemn for me, far from the two persons I love most 
dearly." 

She so little suspected that she was a prisoner, and 
Neipperg her keeper, that she gradually allowed him to 
persuade her that she would best serve Napoleon's in- 
terests by promising to hold no communication at all 
with him, and to deliver his letters, unopened, into 
her father's hands. This lack of news — her last letter 
was dated July 31, 1813^ — greatly disquieted the Em- 
peror, who tried to communicate with her by every means 
in his power. But every attempt failed, and even the 
man he sent to escort her to Elba was refused admittance 
to her presence by the omnipresent and ever watchful 
Neipperg. Realising that it was probably by order of 
the Emperor of Austria that letters were intercepted. 
Napoleon nevertheless trusted Marie Louise's honour so 
implicitly that he never even suspected that his wife would 
promise not to communicate with him. He also still 
expected her to join him as soon as she had finished her 
cure at Aix in Savoy, and had her apartments at Elba 
freshly decorated, suggesting to the painter as sentimental 
device for the ceiling, "two pigeons tied by the same 

218 



Marie Louise 

string, the knots drawing tighter as they fly farther apart." 
Indeed, Napoleon felt so sure that Marie Louise was 
coming, that he carefully hoarded his sole remaining 
fireworks to give her a grand welcome, and was so 
desirous not to afford her even the slightest cause for 
jealousy, that when Madame Walewska came to Elba 
with her son, offering to share his exile, he kept her 
visit as secret as possible, and sent her away again as 
soon as he could. 

Napoleon, who had so sorely tried Josephine, is said 
never to have been unfaithful to Marie Louise, which, if 
true, gave her no excuse for deserting him as she did. 
This visit of a young woman and child, however, caused 
considerable comment, and many of the soldiers who had 
followed him to Elba, firmly believed that the Empress 
had visited the island incognita, to give their Emperor a 
glimpse of his beloved son and confer with him con- 
cerning their future. 

Meantime, Marie Louise was yielding more and more 
to the subtle influence of Neipperg, who played admir- 
ably on the piano, sang duets with her, escorted her on 
all her excursions, afoot or on horseback, and proved, 
in short, an accomplished and devoted cavalier. But 
whereas he apparently deferred to her every whim, he 
artfully got her so completely under his control that he 
unconsciously undermined all her beliefs, made her view 
the past in a false light, persuaded her that she had been 
a victim or a martyr, that Napoleon had never loved her, 
and that hence she owed him no duty at all. This work 
of complete alienation, so well begun during the six 
weeks' stay at Aix, was pursued with the utmost dili- 
gence and skill during a journey in Switzerland, where, 
as Marie Louise was travelling incognita, and her French 
attendants, De Bausset and Meneval, always had large 

219 



Empresses of France 

correspondences to attend to, the Austrian chamberlain 
was often her sole male escort. 

He was not slow to take advantage of this opportu- 
nity, and made such good use of his time, that he not only 
entirely effaced Napoleon's image from Marie Louise's 
fickle heart, but cleverly proceeded to imprint his own 
upon it instead. All this was done so unobtrusively, and 
with such consummate skill, that none of her French 
attendants had any inkling of the danger until too late. 
But Neipperg was no novice at such work, for he had 
already persuaded one man's wife to run away with him 
several years before, and although he had married this 
woman after her divorce, and she had given him several 
sons, he had wearied of her in time, forsaken her, and 
now they were entirely estranged. 

Neipperg took Marie Louise to see Hapsburg Castle, 
— the cradle of her race, — and finding an old lance- 
head, playfully presented it to her as a relic of her re- 
nowned ancestor the great Rudolf. Marie Louise, 
attaching a peculiar sentimental value to this token, 
had fragments of it set into rings, which were worn as 
souvenirs by all who had taken part in this excursion. 
Thus, travelling slowly through this beautiful country, 
with all her tastes for comfort gratified and her egotism 
flattered by being always given a prominent place, 
Marie Louise returned to Schonbrunn early in October, 
so entirely under Neipperg's sway, that she would no 
longer have ventured to do the least thing without his 
knowledge and consent. 

Meantime, the Congress had assembled at Vienna, 
and when Marie Louise arrived there, social gaiety had 
already attained such a swing that an old beau wittily 
said : " The Congress dances, instead of progressing, 
(Le Congres danse, il ne marche pas)." But whereas 

220 



Marie Louise 

Vienna had never been so lively before, Marie Louise 
had no share in the festivities, and the contrast between 
her present seclusion and isolation, and the adulation re- 
ceived during the past four years, when she had been the 
chief actress in every festive scene, proved very hard to 
bear. She was now allowed only surreptitious peeps at 
all these gay doings, a fact which proved a great griev- 
ance, for although loath to exert herself to please others, 
Marie Louise was extremely frivolous, and delighted in 
compliments, attentions, and pretty clothes. Besides 
she would have been glad to have had an opportunity 
to appear in the dainty gowns which she continued to 
order from Paris in large quantities, in spite of her 
reduced fortunes, and thus dazzle Count Neipperg, who 
now monopolised all her thoughts. 

Napoleon, driven almost frantic by lack of news of 
wife and child, finally wrote, on the loth of October, to 
implore the Duke of Tuscany, Marie Louise's uncle, to 
forward his letters to her and give him tidings of his 
family. He enclosed a missive which was duly delivered 
to Marie Louise, but it reached her with her father's in- 
junctions not to return any answer, and as she did not 
even try to disobey this command. Napoleon waited in 
vain for a reply. Convinced now that the Allies pre- 
vented her writing, or confiscated her letters, he ceased to 
write, in utter despair. 

The Allies were, meanwhile, bitterly regretting the con- 
cessions made to Napoleon and his family, and already 
busily occupied in tr}^ing to retract them. But whereas 
the timid Francis deprived his grandson of his title, as 
well as of a crown, he refused to yield to the Allies' sug- 
gestion that the boy should be educated to take religious 
orders. Still, he supported his daughter's cause with so 
little energy, that Neipperg, fearing lest her claims might 

221 



Empresses of France 

be set aside, became her champion in the Congress. By 
diplomacy, and as a reward for the undeniable services 
he had rendered the Allies, Neipperg finally obtained that 
Marie Louise should reign over Parma as long as she 
lived, securing for himself the office of her prime minis- 
ter and chief adviser. But for many months the matter 
remained undecided, and during that time he worked so 
skilfully upon Marie Louise's fears, and made it so ap- 
parent that he was her sole advocate and friend, that she 
learned to depend upon him more and more, and did 
nothing save by his advice. 

None of Napoleon's many friends or spies dared 
give him even a hint concerning this dependence, re- 
garding which Talleyrand wrote to Paris, saying : " The 
Empress, handed over to * * * is not even careful to 
conceal her strange infatuation for this man, who is 
master of her mind and body." But they felt no such 
delicate scruples concerning other matters, and not only 
warned Napoleon that plans were now afoot to deprive 
him of Elba, and banish him to St. Helena or elsewhere, 
but also bade him guard against secret attempts at assassi- 
nation, for he was sorely in the Allies' way, and they 
might yet try to get rid of him. 

These tidings, added to his anxiety concerning his wife 
and child, the non-receipt of the funds promised him, 
and the general discontent in France, all conspired to 
determine Napoleon to make another bold attempt to re- 
trieve his fortunes. Taking advantage, therefore, of the 
temporary absence of the English commissioner who 
generally mounted guard over him. Napoleon embarked 
on February 26th, with his small band of followers, and, 
cleverly dodging the frigates supposed to guard him, 
landed in France on the ist of March, 1815, declaring: 
" The Congress is dissolved ! " 



Marie Louise 

Every one knows the story of that marvellous march to 
Paris, and the fact that all the troops sent out to check him 
received him with transports of joy, and joining his forces, 
escorted him in triumph to Paris. He arrived there on 
March 20, 1815, on his son's fourth birthday, without 
having fired a single shot, or met the slightest resistance. 
But during the twenty days which elapsed between his 
landing in France, and his arrival at Paris, he wrote twice 
to Marie Louise, from Grenoble and Lyons, begging her 
to join him with her son just as soon as she could. 

The disputes in Vienna had, meantime, been growing 
more acrimonious, each representative wishing to gain 
everything for his own country to the detriment of the 
rest, while the foreign guests were absorbed by a con- 
tinual round of fashionable entertainments. But while 
even Marie Louise found a champion in Neipperg, no 
one spoke a good word for Napoleon, who seemed for- 
gotten, save by a few loyal attendants and by his little 
son, who, although physically unlike him, inherited many 
traits of character from him. A precocious child, he not 
only knew how to read fluently even at that early age, 
but already had some knowledge of history and geography. 
His governess, however, wisely tried to keep him igno- 
rant concerning the changes in his fortunes, but in some 
strange way he gleaned an inkling of what had happened, 
and suspiciously inquired, when the Prince de Ligne 
came to see him : " Is he a marshal i* Is he one of 
those who deserted my father ? " Reassured on this 
point, he received the Prince gladly, and they two, the 
oldest and youngest persons of importance at Vienna 
at that time, became great playfellows, spending many 
happy hours together drilling toy soldiers, until the old 
Prince died, and thus afforded Congress the novel 
entertainment of a state funeral. 

223 



Empresses of France 

It was shortly after this, that the news of Napoleon's 
escape reached Vienna, where it created a great sensa- 
tion, and tightened the fast-loosening bond between the 
Allies, who forgot all dissensions and unanimously 
agreed to join forces once more to crush their foe defi- 
nitely. The tidings of Napoleon's escape were especially 
unwelcome at Schonbrunn, where they reached Marie 
Louise when she returned from a ride with the inevitable 
Neipperg. Selfishly dreading to lose Parma, and be 
obliged to return to the husband whom she no longer 
loved, and was conscious of having betrayed, Marie Louise 
now wrote a letter to Congress, denying any knowledge 
of, or complicity in, Napoleon's plans, and placing her- 
self and her son wholly under the Allies' protection. 
This missive, instigated and dictated by Neipperg, not 
only won for him fresh encomiums from the Congress, 
but is said to have determined the Allies to pursue Napo- 
leon with more rancour than they would else have shown. 

Still, after Neipperg had left her, Marie Louise, ever 
anxious to keep on the winning side, began to wonder 
whether she had not been too precipitate; for, in case her 
husband succeeded, he might resent what she had done. 
But while she deemed it might have been wise to leave 
a door open whereby to escape, she really felt no sym- 
pathy with Napoleon, for she acquiesced by her silence, 
when her uncle bluntly remarked : " My poor Louise, 
what I wish for you and for us all, is that your husband 
may break his neck ! " 

When Napoleon's letters reached her, she handed 
them over to her father without a pang, and he laid 
them, still unopened, before the Congress. It formally 
declared war on Napoleon, on the 13th of March, 18 15, 
each ally pledging himself to do all in his power to 
suppress Napoleon for good and all, before that memor- 

224 



Marie Louise 

able assembly dissolved. Just then, the vague rumour of 
an imperial plot to kidnap the little King of Rome caused 
his sudden removal from Schonbrunn to Vienna, where he 
was placed under the personal care of the Emperor of 
Austria. Apartments adjoining those of Francis were 
allotted to the child, who thenceforth spent many hours 
of every day in his grandfather's study, where he became 
a great pet. 

It was well that the King of Rome's grandfather 
loved him dearly, for he was now separated from 
his beloved governess, " Maman Quiou." She had 
cared for him faithfully ever since his birth, and was 
dismissed merely because she taught him to honour and 
pray for his father, and would fain have seen them to- 
gether once more. Fearing lest some base attempt might 
be made upon the life of her precious charge, and 
treacherously ascribed to her, Madame de Montesquiou 
absolutely refused to surrender the King of Rome until 
she received a written order from the Emperor of Austria, 
and a medical certiftcate testifying that the boy left her 
hands in perfect mental and physical condition. This 
separation, which almost broke poor " Maman Quiou's " 
heart, was also intensely painful to the sensitive little King, 
who became silent and melancholy, looked askance at 
his German attendants, and clung pathetically to Madame 
Marchand, the last of his French friends. Just then 
Marie Louise was very unhappy, too, not at the separa- 
tion from her son, whose loyalty to his father was a 
constant reproach to her, but because Neipperg was 
about to leave her to take part in the coming war. Still, 
before he left, he supplied her with written instructions 
for behaviour in every possible emergency, and during 
his six months' absence kept up a lively and voluminous 
correspondence with her, for he well knew the importance 

VOL. I. T- IS 225 



Empresses of France 

of maintaining his unbounded influence over that plastic 
nature. 

Meantime, Napoleon impatiently expected his wife 
and son, whom the people were eager to welcome once 
more, as was shown by these toasts, given at a popular 
banquet, on the 26th of March : " To her Majesty the 
Empress. May she, on her return to our midst, find in 
the liveliness of our transports an expression of the love 
which the French bear her, and of the regrets caused by 
her absence." " To the Prince Imperial. May that 
august child, the source of such great hopes, grow up 
sheltered by his father's genius and inherit his great 
qualities for the happiness and glory of France.'\ 

Still it is said that Napoleon, suspecting that Marie 
Louise was not a free agent, did not feel as confident of 
her immediate return as he declared, and that he soon 
sent secret emissaries to contrive her escape in disguise, 
were she only willing to leave Vienna. Meneval, who 
was still with her, and who still contrived to communi- 
cate from time to time with the Emperor's secretary, 
now thought it best to hint how matters stood, and 
wrote : "I do not know when the Empress will go to 
France. The Cabinet is far from inclined to allow her 
to do so just now. The mind of the Empress is so 
troubled, that she dwells with terror on the thought of 
returning to France. All possible means have been 
employed during the past six months to estrange her 
from the Emperor. When, by chance, I have been 
able to speak a word in private to her, I have besought 
her to keep neutral, and not to sign any papers. But 
they have induced her to take sundry steps to declare 
that she has no part in the Emperor's plans, and to place 
herself under the protection of her father and of the 
Allies." In another letter he tries to excuse her, by 

226 



Marie Louise 

saying that she feels that "as she did not share his 
[Napoleon's] disgrace, she cannot share a prosperity to 
which she has not contributed," and that she " is really 
good, only dominated just now by foreign influences." 

Foreign influences were soon to be the only ones 
left around her, for early in April her French lady-in- 
waiting died, imploring her, with her last breath, to return 
to her husband. But it was now too late. Marie 
Louise had burned her bridges behind her by her letter 
to Congress, and her last scruples seem to have vanished 
when she learned that the Countess of Neipperg was 
dead, and the General thus free to contract new ties. 

On the I St of April, Napoleon formally wrote to the 
Emperor of Austria, claiming "the objects of his dearest 
aff^ections, his wife and child ; " but this appeal proved 
unavailing, and when some one asked the Czar to inter- 
fere, he declared it would be impossible for him to do 
so, as " the Archduchess Marie Louise had informed 
him that she would not return to France at any 
price." In fact, Marie Louise's sympathies were now 
so thoroughly and exclusively enlisted on the Austrian 
side, that she longed to take part in the public proces- 
sions which were praying for success in this war, and 
was only with difficulty deterred from doing so. But 
this fact was not known in Paris, where the people 
expected her to be present at the ceremony of the 
Champ de Mai, and where the soldiers tried to com- 
fort their idolised chief for the absence of his wife and 
son, by boldly crying : " We will go to Vienna and get 
them." 

Meneval, having given up all hope of influencing 
Marie Louise, now prepared to leave her, and he reports 
that in their last interview the Empress said : " I feel 
that all connection between me and France is about to 

227 



Empresses of France 

be severed, but I will never forget that adopted country. 
Assure the Emperor that I wish him well. I hope he 
will understand how unfortunately I am placed. I will 
never consent to a divorce, but I flatter myself that he 
will consent to an amicable separation, and that he will 
bear me no resentment. This separation has become in- 
dispensable. It will not alter my feelings of esteem and 
gratitude." Having thus spoken, Marie Louise pre- 
sented her faithful attendant with a jewelled snufF-box, 
and withdrew to conceal the emotion she undoubtedly 
felt during this parting scene. 

Meneval's farewell visit to the little King was far 
more satisfactory, however ; for although the child seemed 
melancholy and constrained, and hardly answered his 
questions at first, he drew Meneval into a window niche 
before his departure, and, making sure they would not be 
overheard, eagerly whispered : " Mr. Meva, tell him I 
still love him dearly ! " 

On reaching Paris, Meneval found Napoleon, not in 
the Tuileries, — where the empty rooms affected him too 
painfully, — but in the Elysee, where he wandered sadly 
up and down, and was once found in tears before his 
child's portrait. The Emperor closely questioned Me- 
neval concerning his wife and son, and in this first 
interview his worst fears were evidently confirmed, for 
although he never spoke a harsh word against Marie 
Louise, he seemed deeply hurt by her desertion, and so 
depressed that he winced when the people sang, in their 
queer dialect : — 

** Ah ! dis done. Napoleon, 
A n'vient pas ta Marie Louise ? " 
" (Say, Napoleon, is n't your Marie Louise coming ?) " 

On entering the Tuileries, on March 20, 18 15, 
amid the delirious joy of his followers, he felt sure his 

228 



Marie Louise 

wife and child would soon be with him, and was there- 
fore confident and full of hope in the future; but now 
that they failed him, this joyous confidence vanished 
never to return, except for a moment at the battle of 
Waterloo, when he declared that, although he had but 
120,000 men to oppose to the enemies' 230,000, there 
were still ninety chances in favour of his winning the 
day ! But Fortune had deserted Napoleon for good and 
all, and in spite of his genius, he was beaten by the 
Allies at Waterloo, and returned to the Elysee only to 
abdicate a second time in favour of his son, saying : — 

My political life is over, and I proclaim my son. Emperor 
of the French, under the name of Napoleon II. The ministers 
will form the governing council for the present. The interest I 
bear my son makes me urge the Chambers to promulgate a law 
organising the Regency without delay. Unite all of you for 
the safety of the public, and so as to remain an independent 
nation. 

(Signed) Napoleon. 

22nd June, 1 8 15* 

This abdication was, however, to be as futile as the first, 
for Napoleon II. figures in history merely as a matter of 
courtesy. 

Meantime, the victory of Waterloo had been cele- 
brated with grand rejoicings in Austria, where the 
Viennese felt so sure of Marie Louise's sympathy that 
they gave her a grand serenade in honour of her hus- 
band's downfall. 

Banished to St. Helena, — where he spent six years 
of martyrdom, no less cruel because part of his suffer- 
ings were imaginary or self-inflicted, — Napoleon en- 
joyed the sympathy of many even among his foes. 
Devoted friends accompanied him into exile ; his mother 
and sisters vainly petitioned to share his imprisonments 

229 



Empresses of France 

his brothers wished to join him in turn j strangers sent 
him gifts : but his wife alone made no sign, expressed 
no compassion, shed no tear. This callous indifference, 
this lack of womanly sympathy, this unprincipled de- 
sertion of a husband who — whatever his faults — had 
always been kind to her, compels history to point a 
finger of eternal scorn at Marie Louise, whose short- 
comings would else have been judged more leniently. 

The Congress of Vienna and the second Treaty of 
Paris ultimately assured to Marie Louise the coveted 
duchies of Parma, Plaisance, and Guastella for life, but 
only on condition that she left her son in Vienna under 
his grandfather's immediate care. Marie Louise made 
no remonstrance against this decree, gave up her child as 
readily as her husband, and set forth with Neipperg to 
take possession of her new estates in April, 1816. Her 
son, being deprived of his title and inheritance, was, 
however, duly promised the Duchy of Reichstadt in 
Austria, at his mother's death. 

In the beautiful poem entitled " Napoleon IL," Victor 
Hugo declares that when the Allies came to divide the 
spoils, " England took the Eagle and Austria the Eaglet," 
designating Napoleon and his son by these poetic terms. 
M. Edmond Rostand, the gifted author of " Cyrano de 
Bergerac," appropriated this poetic simile for his drama 
" L'Aiglon " (The Eaglet), wherein he depicts, in mov- 
ing scenes, the aspirations of Napoleon's talented son, 
and his early and pathetic death. To construct this 
wonderful play, he cleverly used all a poet's license, 
touching up high lights, darkening shadows, magnifying 
trifling occurrences to secure dramatic climaxes, and de- 
viating from history wherever it would best serve his 
consummate art. This play, written, it is said, for Sarah 
Bernhardt, has awakened new interest in the life of 

230 



Marie Louise 

Napoleon's son, who has been known in turn as King 
of Rome, Little Bonaparte, Prince Imperial, Napoleon 
II., Francis, Duke of Reichstadt, and lastly as Napoleon, 
or the Eaglet of Rostand. The author of " L'Aiglon " 
takes equal liberties with Marie Louise, who was an 
essentially uninteresting woman in real life, as has 
already been seen, and as the conclusion of her history 
proves. 

Although Marie Louise relinquished possession of her 
son without a murmur, she made a point of visiting him 
every year, coming to Vienna under the escort of the 
inevitable Neipperg, who corresponded regularly with 
young Napoleon, after the latter became old enough to 
write. This correspondence, which may soon be pub- 
lished, will doubtless clear up many obscure points in 
the history of this prince, who has been viewed as the 
innocent scapegoat for all his father's crimes, or, as 
the French express it, " une victime expiatoire." It is 
probable that at that time the young Prince viewed 
Neipperg — as he ostensibly was — merely in the light 
of his mother's devoted friend and general factotum, 
and was not yet aware of his treacherous machinations. 
Gentle and dutiful toward his mother, the boy never 
showed her the intense devotion he always felt for his 
exiled and unhappy father, or the filial affection which 
he displayed toward his grandfather, whose weakness of 
character robbed him of his birthright, although the old 
man loved him more than any of his other children or 
grandchildren. 

In Parma, Marie Louise found peace and comfort, and 
Neipperg managed so cleverly that she never discovered 
that she was merely his tool and a virtual prisoner. Not 
only did he govern her estates for her, but he opened all 
her letters, received her guests, and never allowed any 

231 



Empresses of France 

one to approach her save through him. Even at night, 
Neipperg mounted close guard over her, for it is said her 
sleeping apartment could be reached only by passing 
through his own, and that of a maid whom he always 
appointed himself. Napoleon was never mentioned at the 
court of Parma, save in terms of contempt and as a base 
adventurer, for Neipperg carefully collected all that was 
written against him, and had these works read aloud to 
Marie Louise. She, instigated by Neipperg, professed 
the utmost devotion for the Bourbons, who now sat upon 
the throne she had occupied during four brief years, and 
nothing annoyed her more than occasional enthusiastic 
attempts on the part of the Italians to cheer for 
Napoleon, their old hero. 

Napoleon kept Marie Louise's portrait beside his 
son's bust on his mantelpiece at St. Helena, and 
repeatedly declared : " Marie Louise is virtue personi- \ 
fied. She is Innocence with all its attractions." 
Whatever he may have known or suspected concern- 
ing her delinquencies, no word of blame ever crossed his 
lips. His physician, venturing in 1817 to express regret 
that Marie Louise did not write to him, he defended her 
warmly, saying : " I believe that Marie Louise is so cir- 
cumstanced, as far as I am concerned, that she might be 
— in that respect — not considered a free agent. I 
have always had cause to praise the conduct of my good 
Louise, and I think it is entirely out of her power to do 
anything to help me." 

One evening, while dreaming aloud by the fireside, 
Napoleon suddenly remarked that if he were only free, he 
would travel throughout the world, adding : " Do you see 
me at Vienna, or at Parma, surprising the Empress at 
Mass or during a drive ? What fun it would be ! " But 
while he smiled at this thought and was happy, Marie 

232 



Marie Louise 

Louise feared nothing so much as his return, and the 
wild rumours of his escape which occasionally disquieted 
Europe, caused no greater perturbations anywhere than 
in her faithless heart. 

In fact, Marie Louise had no desire whatever to do any- 
thing but forget him and the years spent in France; for 
she not only openly declared, " I was sacrificed," when- 
ever any reference was made to her marriage, but coldly 
refused to allow a book about him to be dedicated to 
her, and even issued an edict forbidding its sale in her 
estates. 

Napoleon, being obliged to part successively with his 
secretary Las Cases, his physician O'Meara, and his 
friend General Gourgaud, besought them, in turn, to visit 
his wife and son, giving them many affectionate messages 
to deliver, and imploring them to send him news. These 
friends faithfully tried to acquit themselves of these — to 
them — sacred commissions ; but they never obtained an 
interview with Marie Louise, and she ignored even the 
most touching letters, or answered them only in a cold 
and perfunctory way. 

In January, 1819, Napoleon rejoiced over the arrival 
of two priests and a doctor sent by his mother. They 
brought him a portrait of his son, which was sent by 
Eugene, but no token or message from his faithless wife. 
Although his friends tried to send him news of the boy, 
all their efforts were vain ; and a German botanist, who 
had lately seen the child, only succeeded in smuggling a 
golden curl and a few traced lines into the fond father's 
keeping, but was never allowed to speak a word to the 
prisoner of Sir Hudson Lowe. 

In 1820, when Napoleon was dying of cancer in a 
mere hut on a barren island, Marie Louise, in a com- 
fortable palace in a lovely land, complacently wrote : " 1 

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Empresses of France 

can only congratulate myself upon my lot. I am con- 
tented, happy, and quiet here. My health is excellent, 
and what I prize more highly still, my son thrives and 
is developing physically and mentally to his great advan- 
tage under the eye of my father, w^ho loves him dearly, 
and in the hands of his excellent governor, who is as 
much attached to him as to his own child." 

In fact, her son, the Duke of Reichstadt, was then a 
most interesting lad of nine, playing quietly in the study 
where his grandfather discussed matters of state. Some 
writers claim that he was brought up in utter ignorance 
of his illustrious origin, but this statement has been dis- 
proved. Well taught and far advanced for his years, 
his father's history and fate were no secrets to him ; 
for his grandfather had directed his teachers to answer 
all his questions truthfully, so as to enable him to learn 
early how to guard against Napoleon's errors. But all 
he learned only served to increase his secret adoration 
for the father whom he had not seen since he was three 
years old, but to whom he ever remained absolutely 
loyal. The beautiful cradle brought as a trophy from 
Paris, also served to recall the familiar story told of his 
birth, which must also have recurred to his mother's 
memory when she congratulated the Bourbons on the 
advent of their " Child of Miracle." Nevertheless even 
then. Napoleon still had numerous admirers and partisans 
in France, who now began to call his child : " The 
Son of the Man," and did not despair of seeing him 
some day occupy his glorious father's throne. 

In January, 1821, Napoleon felt his end draw near, 
and made a will disposing of all his property, and leav- 
ing messages and instructions for his wife and son. He 
even willed his heart to Marie Louise, bidding his physi- 
cian preserve it in alcohol and carry it to Parma, saying : 

234 



Marie Louise 

" You must tell her that I loved her dearly, and never 
ceased to love her. You must also relate to her all that 
you have seen, everything pertaining to my situation." 
Then, attending to his religious duties. Napoleon sank 
into an unconscious state, and breathed his last on the 
5th of May, 1821. 

The heart vi^hich Napoleon had thus left to his faith- 
less wife could not be taken to her, however ; Sir Hud- 
son Lowe peremptorily refusing to allow any part of the 
hero to be borne away from the island. But this gov- 
ernor, unfeeling as he was, wrote to Lady Holland to 
announce the death of the man whose captivity she had 
tried to lighten by thoughtful gifts. He did not, how- 
ever, break the news to Marie Louise, who learned it 
through the newspapers on the 17th of July, 1821. 
Neipperg immediately wrote to Metternich announcing 
that as soon as the news was officially confirmed the 
court of Parma would wear mourning and hold private 
religious services. He reported also that " Her Majesty, 
although deeply affected by the news which had reached 
her, continues, nevertheless, to enjoy very good health." 
Indeed, Marie Louise's health was so good, that three 
days later, on receipt of the official notification of Napo- 
leon's death, she donned a new and becoming mourning 
robe, and was present at the funeral service, held in 
her private chapel " for thy servant, the husband of our 
archduchess," who was, however, never once mentioned 
by name. 

Marie Louise also ordered a thousand masses to be 
said at Parma and at Vienna for the rest of Napoleon's 
soul ; but the sorrow Neipperg mentioned, and her indif- 
ference to the living Napoleon, did not prevent her 
writing immediately to England to ask that any legacy 
the dead Napoleon had left her or her son might not 

235 



Empresses of France 

be withheld from them. Less than three months later, 
although still dressed in black, she attended the theatre 
frequently, to the surprise of the Italians, who mourned 
for Napoleon far more truly than she. 

Dr. Antomarchi, arriving at Parma just then, bearing 
a letter from General Bertrand, — one of Napoleon's 
devoted friends at St. Helena, — was received with the 
utmost courtesy by Neipperg, who announced that Marie 
Louise was not able to see him, but that she " took 
pleasure in rendering to the dead Napoleon the cult she 
had devoted to him during his life." Then Neipperg 
dismissed the physician courteously, giving him a dia- 
mond ring in Marie Louise's name. But that very even- 
ing. Dr. Antomarchi saw her in a private box at the 
theatre, and was deeply touched by the pallor and deli- 
cate appearance which he mistakenly ascribed to sorrow 
for Napoleon's death. 

The truth is, however, that Marie Louise, although 
she had openly declared she would never claim a divorce, 
had nevertheless long been faithless to her marriage 
vows. By means of some pious jugglery, and with 
the knowledge and consent of her father, she had 
entered into a secret connection with General Neip- 
perg. When this morganatic marriage was celebrated, 
is still a mystery; but the fact remains that Marie 
Louise already had one living daughter by Neipperg, 
and that a few weeks after Napoleon's death she gave 
birth to a son, known as Count of Montenuovo. Her 
pallor, when Dr. Antomarchi saw her in the theatre, 
was owing to a recent confinement, and not at all to 
grief; for Marie Louise never felt or expressed any sym- 
pathy whatever for the captive Napoleon, nor showed 
the slightest remorse for her heartless desertion of him. 

Neipperg never openly claimed his position as her 
236 



Marie Louise 

husband, and the connection, thanks to his diplomacy, 
was never openly referred to at Parma, although three 
living children are ascribed to him and to Marie Louise, 
two of whom lived to marry and have issue. This fact 
gave rise to the — perchance — malicious report that 
Marie Louise's intimacy with Neipperg had already 
begun when Napoleon escaped from Elba, and that 
intimacy is alleged as the reason why she refused to join 
her husband in Paris, and stirred the Allies up against 
him. But if Marie Louise was too indifferent to listen 
to Dr. Antomarchi's narrative. Napoleon's other rela- 
tives were not, and the story he told to Madame Laetitia 
wrung from her many tears, as she sat spinning in her 
Roman home, all other occupations being impossible to 
her now that she was nearly blind. 

The person who mourned Napoleon most sincerely, 
however, was the son who had parted from him in baby- 
hood, and who received the tidings at Schonbrunn on the 
22nd of July, 1821. Although only ten years old, the 
boy melted into tears, and his grief had an intensity and 
duration seldom seen in a child. The Austrian Em- 
peror, who wisely concealed nothing from him, now 
allowed him and his attendants to wear mourning, an 
outward mark of respect which he could not avoid. 

The Duke of Reichstadt's devotion to his father's 
memory increased instead of diminishing as time went 
on, for the imaginative lad pondered deeply on all he 
saw and heard, and he lived only in hopes of carrying out 
the glorious plans his father had made. Debarred from 
all intercourse with the Bonapartes, or with his father's 
friends, he never received any of the tokens left him, but 
eagerly perused the memoirs written by Napoleon's at- 
tendants, and thus learned how his father had lived and 
died in St. Helena, and received his last messages and in- 

237 



Empresses of France 

structions. A reserved, silent lad, the Duke of Reichstadt 
seldom spoke of his own feelings ; but although filial in 
his behaviour to Marie Louise vs^hen she visited him \ 
yearly at Vienna, he never showed her a tithe of the 
passionate devotion he felt for his dead father. Her 
connection with Neipperg never being openly men- 
tioned, he may not have known it until after his father's 
death ; but he never mentioned it at any time, as far as 
we now know, although he must have been aware of 
the existence of a half brother and sisters. 

Marie Louise pursued her calm, self-satisfied existence 
at Parma, and when Lamartine visited her there in 
1827, he reported : "She speaks of the past as of an 
historical epoch which has no connection with her or 
with the present. The Empress and Marie Louise are 
two totally separate creatures ; she is far from regretting 
anything, for she is happy in her new relations." 

These so-called " new relations " were the real source 
of her comfort, for Neipperg made a capable sovereign 
for her estates, where he nevertheless carefully assumed a 
subordinate position, making Marie Louise's pleasure his 
first care. But his close watch over her never relaxed, 
and whether he really loved her or not, the position he 
occupied must have fulfilled all his ambitions, for he 
had the satisfaction of dealing the most bitter blow to 
his hated foe. Napoleon. 

Fate decreed that Neipperg's triumph should be short, 
for in 1829 he fell ill, and died without being able to 
leave Marie Louise any definite instructions for the future. \ 
She went into mourning, and wept profusely for " the 
dear General," for whom she erected a magnificent 
monument; but although many people fancied she 
would prove so inconsolable that she would gladly 
resign Parma to her successor and retire to Vienna, she 

238 



Marie Louise 

soon dried her tears, and as her admirably organised 
state gave her little trouble, held fast to it. Before 
long, she again gave dinner parties just as before, and she 
attended the theatre as regularly as usual six weeks after 
Neipperg was laid to rest. Besides, she strove to banish 
any sad ideas by a new journey in Switzerland, where 
former associations were evidently neither vivid nor 
painful enough to mar her pleasure in any way. 

Meantime her son was growing up, and his ed- 
ucation being nearly finished, his grandfather deemed 
it time to introduce him into society. The young rhan, 
who was a familiar figure in his grandfather's study and 
on the Prado, — where he rode fiery horses with con- 
summate grace and skill, — had otherwise lived in great 
retirement all these years. He made his social debut 
at a grand ball given by the English ambassador. Lord 
Cowley, where he was the observed of all observers, at- 
tracting considerable attention by his birth, by his tall 
stature, fair hair, regular features, and the deep blue eyes 
whose fiery glance recalled his father. But however un- 
like Napoleon in outward appearance, the young man pos- 
sessed the same powerful imagination, the same restless 
ambition, the same enthusiasm, and the same love for 
everything pertaining to war. Indeed, had not too rapid 
growth engendered delicate health, the young Duke 
would already have joined the regiment to which he 
belonged, for he was determined to become a soldier 
worthy of his sire. 

It was at his first ball that the Duke of Reichstadt 
not only won the golden opinion of the Viennese ladies, 
but attracted the -attention of Marmont, his father's old 
friend and companion in arms. This encounter charmed 
the Duke, who, forgetting the defection which had dealt 
Napoleon such a severe blow, only remembered Mar- 

239 



Empresses of France 

mont's years of faithful service, and longed to hear him 
relate the story of his campaigns. This meeting was, 
therefore, only a prelude to many others ; for the Emperor 
of Austria bade Marmont instruct his grandson in the 
history of his time, giving him graphic accounts of the 
engagements he had witnessed. These lessons lasted 
about three months, and were equally well enjoyed by 
master and pupil, the former bearing delighted witness 
to the latter's keenness of perception and strategic 
insight. 

On first entering into society, the Duke of Reich- 
stadt also met M. de Prokesch-Osten, an Austrian officer 
who had written an able work on Napoleon's last cam- 
paign. This book, eagerly studied by Napoleon's son, 
paved the way for a friendship, equally deep on bgth 
sides, and which was to endure until death. In the 
society of this man, to whom, although considerably older, 
he could confide all his hopes and aspirations, the young 
Duke poured out his soul, and found not only a sympa- 
thetic listener, but an ardent admirer, who has since 
borne testimony to the superiority of his mind. 

Those conversations with Marmont and Prokesch- 
Osten, together with his studies, which comprised all 
that had then been written concerning Napoleon's career, 
worked the Duke up to a ferment of enthusiasm and 
ambition, which was in nowise allayed by the agitation 
of the times. That was an epoch of political turmoil, 
not only in Poland and France, but in Italy also ; for, if 
the French were restive under Bourbon rule, the Italians 
were doubly so under Austrian government. In France, 
the Bourbons, having become impossible in 1830, the 
Bonapartist faction issued a proclamation calling Napo- 
leon II. to the throne. Unfortunately for them, how- 
ever, their candidate was young, and in the hands of the 

240 



Marie Louise 

Austrians, who, knowing the Italians positively adored the 
name of Napoleon, feared to lose their possessions in Italy 
should a Bonaparte again occupy the French throne. Had 
Francis II. been sure of forfeiting nothing, he would prob- 
ably not have opposed this plan, for, seeing how affairs 
were tending, he deemed it advisable to warn his grand- 
son that a sudden turn of Fortune's wheel might bring 
him back to the Tuileries, and even remarked, in 1831 : 
" If the French asked for you, and the Allies consented, 
I should not oppose your mounting the throne of France." 
Knowing besides that the Bonapartists were numerous 
and popular, he once declared : " You will no sooner 
appear on the bridge of Strasbourg, than the reign of the 
Orleans will be over." 

These assurances naturally made the fiery-souled youth 
dream dreams and see visions, which were never to be 
fulfilled. His Bonaparte relatives, who had never been 
allowed to communicate with him in any way, and 
whose letters had all been intercepted, now tried to open 
relations with him by means of a cousin. Countess 
Camerata, who came to Vienna in disguise. She con- 
trived at last to send a note to the Duke of Reichstadt, 
who, discovering it was the third she had written, and 
that two others must already have fallen into the hands 
of spies, courteously refused to enter into personal com- 
munication with her. The Countess, it is said, once 
managed to kiss his hand, but aside from that had no 
intercourse with the Duke, who wished to return to 
France openly, at the request of the people, and refused 
to stoop to conspiracy. The political agitations in 
France resulted at last in the ejection of the Bourbons 
and the election of Louis Philippe, who, in spite of 
opposition, held his own until 1848. 

To compensate his beloved grandson for the collapse 
VOL.1. — 16 241 



Empresses of France 

of all the hopes so rashly fostered, Francis II. allowed 
him to join his regiment, hoping that would prove a 
substitute. But too rapid growth had entailed great 
delicacy of constitution, and, in spite of a man's stature 
and an abnormal brain development, the Duke still pos- 
sessed the stomach and lungs of a mere child. Excite- 
ment, exposure, and fatigue, therefore, soon produced ex- 
treme lassitude, which only irritated the young man, and 
made him impatiently exclaim : " I owe a grudge to this 
wretched body, which will not do what my soul wishes." 

The court physician vainly advised rest and quiet, 
saying : " It is a great pity your Royal Highness has 
not the power to change bodies, as you change horses 
when you have tired them out ; but I implore you, my 
lord, bear in mind that you have a soul of iron in a body 
of crystal, and that an abuse of will power can only be 
fatal to you." 

Such sage advice was, however, entirely thrown away 
on so ambitious a patient, for the Duke persisted, con- 
cealing his weakness and suffering with heroic fortitude, 
and spurred on to efforts far beyond his strength by 
thoughtless companions, who fancied his lack of physical 
endurance due merely to effeminate treatment. But his 
hoarse voice, oppressed lungs, and increasing emaciation 
finally so alarmed his physicians, that they prevailed upon 
the Emperor to exert his authority and place the young 
man under arrest at Schonbrunn. For a soldier there 
is no appeal from such an order ; but as the Duke left his 
grandfather's presence, he turned toward the physician, 
livid with rage, and cried : " It is you who place me 
under arrest," 

This anger, so natural in an ambitious youth suddenly 
cut off from all he loves, soon subsided, however, for 
the Duke was fair-minded and generous, as well as ambi- 

242 



Marie Louise 

tious. But, whereas his health improved at first under 
strict regimen and by dint of great care, his eager spirit 
could not but wear out his frail body. Like all con- 
sumptives, he was full of hope as soon as the slightest 
amelioration of his condition became perceptible, and 
was so energetic, morally and mentally, that few even 
among his intimates ever suspected all he suffered from 
weakness and depression. 

Cut off from the active pursuits he loved, and kept 
indoors by a cold, damp climate, the young Duke now 
devoted much time to the study of poetry and religion, 
which he eagerly discussed with his friends. Then, 
encouraged by a slight improvement in his condition, he 
again won his grandfather's consent to rejoin his regi- 
ment ; but he was forced to give up after a few days, 
and withdraw once more to Schonbrunn, where he spent 
the next six months in a hopeless struggle with weakness 
and death. The fact that he was a virtual prisoner, and 
could not even seek the milder climate of Italy, which 
his physicians recommended, and that all his hopes were 
blasted, made him feel like an eaglet with a broken 
wing ; and his friend Prokesch has since declared : " The 
Prince was killed by the grief which devoured him, and 
which was the result of his situation, and the inactivity 
to which his most noble faculties were condemned. It 
is impossible for me to relinquish the conviction that a 
happy and active youth would have contributed greatly 
to strengthen his body, and that the checked development 
of his organs was the result of his moral sufferings." 

Pulmonary disease alone, is enough to carry off any 
young man, but some scurrilous persons have ventured 
to suggest that the Duke's untimely end was due to all 
manner of excesses, although they can allege no proof 
of their statements. They declare, among other things, 

243 



^ 



Empresses of France 

that the son of Napoleon had sundry love-afFairs, includ- 
ing the popular dancer, Fanny Elssler, his cousin the 
Archduchess, and his mother's reader among his many 
sweethearts. 

In the spring of 1832, the Duke of Reichstadt, after 
spending the winter in town with his grandfather, re- 
moved to Schonbrunn, where he sat on the balcony in 
the sunshine, sadly noting the signs of the last spring he 
would ever see on earth. A trifling increase of strength 
kindled a new gleam of hope, but once more his restless 
spirit drove him to overtax his feeble frame. After a 
morning ride in which he exerted himself considerably 
to control the fiery steed he rode so well, the Prince 
insisted upon taking an afternoon drive, in the course 
of which he was chilled by a cold wind, so he returned 
home only to fall a prey to inflammation of the lungs. 
This proved the last straw, every one now felt that his 
days were numbered, and Marie Louise was summoned 
to Vienna in great haste. 

Just then his friend Prokesch was travelling in Italy, so 
the Archduchess Sophy, mother of the present Emperor 
of Austria, sat by his bedside, nursing him with all an 
elder sister's love and devotion. She had come to Vienna 
as a bride, when the Duke was only thirteen, and from 
the first they had been playmates and friends. Perceiv- 
ing the end near, she now suggested that they should 
partake of the sacrament together in his room, saying : 
" We will join our prayers, I for your recovery, you for 
my safe deliverance." The Duke gladly consented, and 
lying there on his death-bed, received communion, while 
his cousin knelt beside him, little suspecting that the 
child, whom she then expected, would end his life in a 
tragic way in Mexico, for it proved to be the unhappy 
Maximilian. 

244 




The Duke of Reichstadt. 



Marie Louise 

Unseen by the Duke of Reichstadt, his attendants all 
witnessed this touching ceremony, which they iinew 
would soon be followed by a birth and a death. The 
angel of life was, however, the first to appear, and the 
Archduchess was, therefore, not present when her cousin 
breathed his last. Marie Louise, detained at Triest by 
illness, arrived at Schonbrunn only on the 24th of June, 
and almost fainted when she beheld the change in her 
son. From that moment she watched over him with the 
utmost devotion, and as if full of remorse for not having 
sooner shown him all a mother's tender love. The Duke, 
who had always been rather cold and reticent with her, 
now seemed pleased to have her near him, and his grand- 
father having finally granted him permission to travel, 
he spoke eagerly of visiting her in Italy the next winter. 
Meantime the heat grew very oppressive at Schonbrunn, 
and the appearance of a thunder-storm was hailed with 
joy J because all hoped it might cool the air and afford 
relief to the labouring lungs of the poor patient. The 
storm broke with great fury right over the lordly castle, 
and in the midst of its rush and roar the lightning 
knocked down one of the imperial eagles crowning the 
edifice. This accident was viewed ,in the light of an 
evil omen by the Duke's attendants, who now remem- 
bered that a violent storm had also heralded Napoleon's 
death, and that it was in this very room that the Duke 
had received the tidings of his father's demise just eleven 
years before. 

Marie Louise, exhausted with watching, finally con- 
sented to retire for a few hours' needed rest, and as the 
Duke asked to remain alone, his attendants pretended to 
withdraw also. But from their posts they kept close 
watch over the patient, who at half-past three in the 
morning suddenly rose up in bed, crying aloud : "I 

245 



Empresses of France 

succumb ! I succumb ! " Rushing forward, the atten- 
dants tenderly supported the dying Duke, who gasped, 
« My mother ! My mother ! " and sank back exhausted, 
as Marie Louise came into the room and fell upon her 
knees beside her dying son, who, gazing affectionately 
upon her, passed away without further suffering. 

The news of the Duke's death was immediately con- 
veyed to the Emperor, who was then at Linz, for he 
could not bear to see his favourite die. Although he 
mourned his grandson sincerely, he knew life had little 
to offer so ardent a spirit, and thoughtfully said : " I 
consider the Duke's death happy as far as he is con- 
cerned. I do not know whether his death is fortunate 
or unfortunate for the public weal. As for me, I shall 
always regret the loss of my grandson." 

Meanwhile, in a darkened room in Rome, Prokesch 
was telling Madame Lastitia how clever and manly this 
grandson was, and how utterly devoted to the memory 
of the father whom he so closely resembled in character, 
and promised to rival in genius. This old, nearly blind 
grandmother, wept for joy on hearing this enthusiastic 
description, and sent her grandson her portrait and a lock 
of his father's hair, together with her blessing. But 
although she said : " Let him respect his father's last 
wishes ! His hour will come, and he will mount to his 
father's throne," that prediction was never to come true. 
Indeed, only a few hours after it was made, the Duke of 
Reichstadt was called away, for his brief pilgrimage on 
earth was already ended. 

Marie Louise and the Emperor of Austria were not 
the only mourners for the Duke, who was regretted by 
all his father's adherents and by many of the Viennese, 
with whom he had always been a favourite. His funeral 
was very imposing, though simple, and his body finally 

246 



Marie Louise 

lowered into the vault of the Capuchin Church, to rest 
near that of his famous ancestress, the Empress Marie 
Therese, on the very spot where his father had stood 
after the battle of Wagram, little suspecting that the 
sole heir of all his glory would be interred there at 
twenty-one ! 

Only a short time before his demise, the ex-King of 
Rome pathetically remarked that his birth and death 
would comprise his whole history, and that his cradle 
and grave would be close together, for the famous silver- 
gilt crib was even then in the Imperial Treasury at 
Vienna, where it can still be seen. 

Francis II. missed his grandson as long as he lived, 
and he was the first of the imperial family to follow him 
into the tomb. As for Marie Louise, she mourned as\ 
faithfully as her shallow nature would allow ; and de- 
clared, with exaggerated sentiment : " I count each one 
of the days that pass ; it is one interval less separating 
me from a being so beloved. I suffer ; but then how 
can one think of complaining after witnessing such cruel 
suffering endured with such calmness and resignation." 
Nevertheless, she did not belong to the inconsolable 
kind. Of the clinging vine order of woman, she had to 
lean upon some one, and since Neipperg's death, she had 
gradually learned to depend more and more upon her 
new chamberlain, Charles de Bombelles, a French noble- 
man and another inveterate foe of Napoleon I. On the 
17th of February, 1834, she married this man, with the 
knowledge and consent of her family, but this third 
marriage also was kept secret until her death, and 
acknowledged only in her will. 

De Bombelles bitterly hated Napoleon, whose name 
and features were so obnoxious to him, that he is said to 
have destroyed the magnificent toilet-table which the 

247 



Empresses of France 

city of Paris gave Marie Louise, and which Neipperg 
had spared. It was valued at 250,386 francs, and he 
destroyed it merely because Napoleon's portrait appeared 
in one of the medallions. It is further stated that De 
Bombelles broke it up with his own hands, selling the 
precious metal of which it had been fashioned for 
125,000 francs, and giving that money to the cholera 
fund. 

About a year after her son's death, Marie Louise 
lost her father ; but although she again expressed heart- 
rending sorrow, every one knew her emotions were not 
deep enough to disturb permanently the even current of 
her selfish life and therefore wasted little sympathy upon 
her. While the four years which she had spent in Paris 
seemed to have been completely effaced from her 
memory, others could not but remember all she had 
said and done when there, and wondered how she felt 
when Napoleon's remains were brought back to Paris, 
and solemnly entombed in the Invalides with every token 
of respect. Those who had shared the Emperor's exile 
were honoured guests on this occasion, and old General 
Moncey, tearfully viewing the scene, thankfully ex- 
claimed : " Now I can die ! " But Marie Louise had 
no share at all in the pageant, because she had chosen to 
discard all claim to her husband's glory. 

Marie Louise continued to enjoy a monotonously com- 
fortable existence in her duchy, varied by occasional 
journeys to Vienna, until she died at Parma on the 17th 
of December, 1847, from inflammation of the lungs. 
She had lived fifty-six years, and when she died the 
estate for which she had sacrificed husband, son, and 
reputation passed into the hands of the Duke of Lucca. 
Marie Louise was buried in the Capuchin Church at 
Vienna, where six coffins stand between hers and her 

248 



Marie Louise 

son's. Like moist clay in the hand of a potter, Marie 
Louise yielded unresistingly to every pressure; but 
whereas her naturally weak character, the force of ad- 
verse circumstances, and the strong influences brought 
to bear upon her are urged as excuses for her conduct, 
history will ever point out the fact that she was griev- 
ously wanting in sympathy, womanliness, and motherli- 
ness. Even her unlovely traits might, however, have 
been forgotten or excused, had she not proved faithless 
in times of trial to the man whom she had pretended to 
love as long as fortune smiled upon him, for the world 
will forgive almost anything except faithlessness in a 
woman. 



249 



EUGfiNIE 



ON May 5, 1826, the fifth anniversary of 
Napoleon's death at St. Helena, an earthquake 
shook the city of Grenada so violently that the 
Countess de Teba, not daring to remain in her house, 
rushed out into her garden, where, it is said, she gave 
birth to her second child. This golden-haired, blue- 
eyed daughter, Eugenie Ignace Augustine, became in 
time Empress of the French, and, as for many years she 
shone pre-eminent, her parentage and the early environ- 
ments which served to form her character are now of 
vital interest. 

A Scotchman named Kirkpatrick, who claimed to de- 
scend from the Stuarts, was driven out of his native land 
when they definitely lost the throne, and after some 
wanderings and a sojourn in the United States, finally 
settled in Malaga, Spain. His duties as American Con- 
sul affording him scant means and occupation, he also 
carried on there a small trafiic in colonial wares. It is 
even claimed that he dispensed rare wines, in the little 
parlour behind the shop, to a select class of customers, 
who were waited upon by his wife and daughters. One 
of the latter, Manuela, had attended boarding-school in 
Paris, spending her holidays there with her aunt, Madame 
de Lesseps, the mother of the famous engineer of that 
name. 

The two cousins, who were nearly of the same age, 
were very good friends, and there Manuela also met for the 

250 




The Empress Eugenie. 

From a Portrait by Winter halter. 



Eugenie 



first time Don Cipriano, Count de Teba, a nobleman 
related to many of the oldest families in Spain, such as 
the Guzmans, Cordovas, etc. Eager to better herself, 
and to enjoy social advantages, Manuela determined to 
marry Don Cipriano ; for although he was quite poor, 
far older than she, and had lost one eye in fighting for 
Napoleon I., she knew his elder brother was unmarried, 
and that Don Cipriano and his children would, therefore, 
ultimately inherit the family title, estates, and fortune. 
This shrewd calculation proved correct in time, although 
the family greatly objected to Don Cipriano's marriage 
at first, finding just fault with his wife. In her desire 
to shine in society, Manuela freely used her beauty and 
wit to attract to her salon fashionable people whose 
morals were not above reproach, but who enjoyed the 
free and easy intercourse which she encouraged. Don 
Cipriano, jealous of the many admirers who rallied around 
his gay young wife, first in Malaga, then in Grenada, 
and lastly in Madrid, where they lived in turn, criticised 
her behaviour harshly, but was very devoted to his 
children, whom he brought up to admire and almost 
worship his favourite hero. Napoleon. 

The family reached Madrid when Eugenie was already 
eight years old, and, as her uncle was now dead, her 
father bore the title of Count de Montijo, and thus held 
an enviable position. Still he was very unhappy, for 
he loved quiet and solitude, and the many visitors who 
came to see his handsome and witty wife only roused his 
wrath. The Countess, nevertheless, continued to enter- 
tain, receiving not only the fast and fashionable set, but 
all the men of note in statecraft, science, and literature, 
many of whom have borne witness to her charm and 
intellectual brilliancy. Among the strangers who fre- 
quented her salon, we find Washington Irving, George 

251 



Empresses of France 

Ticknor, and Prosper Merimee, who all mention her 
in their writings in laudatory terms. These visitors 
not only admired the beautiful Countess de Montijo, but 
made great pets of her children, both daughters being 
especially pretty and interesting maidens. Thus Eugenie 
was accustomed to society and adulation from babyhood, 
and early learned the attraction and power of her almost 
flawless beauty. In such surroundings, the coquetry and 
love of pleasure which she had inherited from her 
mother, would have made a mere flirt of the girl, had 
there not been at the same time a strong dose of her 
father's fearless and upright character in her composition. 
This combination made Eugenie delight, even as a little 
girl, in doing rather unusual and.startUng things, which, 
however, served to attract further attention to her. 

Keen artistic perceptions, and an innate taste for dress, 
caused her to twine violets in her golden curls even when 
a mere child, and, pleased with the effect, she sent a 
shepherd lad to get the flowers high up in the mountains, 
when she could no longer obtain them down in the 
valley. A child of vivid imagination, these graceful 
blossoms further pleased her, because they were the 
Bonapartist emblem, for her father had told her how 
Napoleon had picked some on coming back from Elba, 
and she knew they served as badge for all his partisans. 
Her love for these dainty flowers was further heightened 
by an old crone who, seeing her crowned with violets, 
once predicted that " her happiness would bloom with 
those flowers," a prophecy which made a deep impression 
upon her childish and superstitious soul. 

We are told that the Countess de Montijo's coquetry 
gave rise to much recrimination upon the part of her 
husband, and that frequent marital quarrels culminated 
in such complete estrangement, in 1834, that Manuela 

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Eugenie 



gladly seized the double pretext afforded by cholera and 
political disturbances to leave Madrid with her three 
children. 

She then went to France, where her son soon died, 
and from that time on, led a wandering life, seeking con- 
genial society at the various fashionable watering-places, 
and spending gay winters in London or Paris. There, 
many of her old friends rallied around her, and, as she 
was as clever as beautiful, men of letters such as Laborde, 
Behle, and Merimee came to see her almost daily. The 
latter, who had already known her in Spain, obtained 
from her the material for his well-known tale of " Car- 
men," which forms the theme of Bizet's famous opera of 
the same name. He was also very fond of Eugenie and 
of her sister, who delighted in the stories he told them, and 
enjoyed no greater treat than rambles in his company. 
The Countess de Montijo, whose own mode of life 
gave cause for censure, was nevertheless very careful of 
these two daughters, who were charming children, al- 
though allowed far more freedom than most girls of their 
time. Both girls delighted in active pursuits, and greatly 
enjoyed riding, gymnastic exercises, and dancing. The 
latter lessons they shared in 1836 with the children of 
the chief of police, and thus, it is said, Eugenie obtained 
a glimpse of Louis Napoleon when he passed through 
Paris, a prisoner, after his rash attempt at Strasbourg. 
Only ten years old, with an ardent admiration for the 
name of Napoleon, Eugenie gazed with sympathetic in- 
terest upon the prisoner on his way to exile, and this one 
glimpse proved enough to kindle a vivid spark of interest 
in her romantic little soul. 

The next year she and her sister were boarding pupils 
in the convent school of the Sacred Heart in Paris, while 
their mother returned to Madrid. At school, Eugenie 

253 



Empresses of France 

was a general favourite, her beauty, spirit, and intelligence 
making her a natural leader there as well as everywhere 
else. Her ardour and enthusiasm were such that she 
studied and played with equal intensity, and was so 
deeply impressed with the devotion of the nuns, that she 
strove to emulate them in the rigid practices of religion. 
But the girls' school days were abruptly shortened by a 
sudden summons to Madrid, where their father lay dy- 
ing, and where they arrived too late to receive his last 
blessing. 

The whole Montijo fortune now passed into the hands 
of widow and children, who, after a brief season of mourn- 
ing spent at their country-seat, returned to Madrid. The 
Countess de Montijo, at the zenith of her beauty and 
more charming than ever, was soon surrounded by the 
best society in town ; and as she was as ambitious as 
before, she was determined to secure good matches for 
her beautiful daughters, who were now fifteen and six- 
teen years of age. Instead of keeping them in strict 
seclusion, she allowed them to see and be seen, and 
while guarding them carefully, did not object to their 
riding, driving, or attending concerts, theatres, and 
bull-fights, with their admirers, and under suitable 
chaperonage. 

The girls, whose beauty was almost equal, although 
they were very unlike in colouring, received a great deal 
of attention, one of their admirers being the Duke of 
Berwick and Alva. But as his attentions were impar- 
tially divided between them, each secretly fancied herself 
beloved. Warm-hearted and enthusiastic as she was, 
Eugenie, therefore, imagined herself heart-broken when 
she overheard the young man ask for her sister's hand. 
In fact, she was so romantic and uncontrolled at that 
time, that it is said she procured poison, tried to kill her- 

254 



Eugenie 



self, and was saved only with great difficulty from the fatal 
consequences of her childish folly. We are further told 
that this rash deed affected her superb health, leaving its 
traces in an almost imperceptible twitch of the eyelids, 
and an hysterical tendency when overtired or excited. 

Although she imagined herself inconsolable, Eugenie 
soon recovered from her childish infatuation for her 
brother-in-law, whom she instead learned to love in a 
purely fraternal way, and with whom she was subse- 
quently always on the best of terms. Her sister being 
married, Eugenie now monopolised most of the attention 
of her mother's guests, who greatly admired her daring 
horsemanship, her striking costumes, her unconventional 
manners, and raved over her red-gold hair, blue eyes, 
dazzling complexion, delicately pencilled eyebrows long, 
dark lashes, pearly teeth, beautiful hands and feet, and per- 
fect form. Her elegance, grace, vivid imagination, and 
bright intellect, as well as her beauty, attracted attention 
everywhere, and she received all this homage with queenly 
condescension and without the least ostentation. 

At the bull-fights, Eugenie was the cynosure of all eyes, 
and her enthusiasm for the Toreador's skill then reached 
such a pitch, that she publicly bestowed upon him a gay 
cap, which rumour claimed was embroidered by her own 
fair hands. This notoriety, which would have either dis- 
mayed or turned the head of any girl brought up in a 
different way, seemed a mere matter of course to Eugenie, 
to whom adulation had been a daily meed from baby- 
hood, and who never rated it highly, while she craved for 
it through habit. 

The Countess de Montijo, who had long striven to 
obtain a position at court through her numerous influen- 
tial friends, was finally appointed first lady of honour to 
Queen Isabella, an exalted post which fully satisfied her 

255 



Empresses of France 

ambitions. She now entertained more than ever, and her 
salon was frequented not only by ambassadors, Spanish 
Grandees, and all her former habitues, but also by many 
distinguished foreigners, including the sons of Louis 
Philip, King of the French, who came to Madrid for 
matrimonial purposes. Eugenie and her mother nat- 
urally took part in the royal wedding festivities, and thus 
grew well acquainted with the two young princes, who 
never forgot them. Indeed, the Duke d'Aumale, meet- 
ing the Empress Eugenie many years later, in the Bay of 
Naples, ventured to remind her of old times, by saying : 
" What a lovely young girl you were. Empress," at which 
she immediately retorted : " And what a delightful, cour- 
teous young man, you were." 

But the gay life at the Spanish court came to an 
abrupt end. It is said that the Countess de Montijo, 
having violated some of the proprieties too openly, was 
asked to resign ; but it is probable that court life, with its 
rigid etiquette, speedily lost all charms for her, and that 
she was not sorry to relinquish the coveted position after 
enjoying it only three months. 

Eugenie, too, was weary of the worldly pleasures 
which she had so long enjoyed. Even in the midst of 
social whirl, she had always been very devout, and feel- 
ing dissatisfied and unsettled, she now determined to do 
something really great by renouncing the world, and all 
its attractions, to become a nun. Such a life appealed to 
her poetical mind and ardent nature, . and she really 
fancied for a while that she had a vocation for a religious 
life. But when she reached the convent where she in- 
tended to seek admittance, a crazy nun exclaimed : " My 
daughter, do not seek for rest within our walls, you are 
called to adorn a throne ! " 

Eugenie seems to have considered this prophecy 
256 



Eugenie 



a leading of Providence, for with all her Spanish 
superstition and impulsiveness, she immediately relin- 
quished all idea of becoming a recluse. With her 
mother, she again travelled from one fashionable resort 
to another, easily eclipsing all the other women by her 
extraordinary beauty, grace, intelligence, and wit. Those 
whom she thus outshone, jealous of her superior at- 
tractions, severely criticised the mannish dress she 
adopted for athletic sports, and commented unkindly 
upon her frankness of speech and freedom of manner, 
which, while it offered a strong contrast to the conven- 
tional young lady of the day, was nothing more than the 
liberty now conceded to every American girl abroad. 
In spite of all these ill-natured remarks, and of the title 
of adventuress, which her detractors freely bestowed upon 
her, they never could accuse her of anything worse than 
unconventionality bordering upon imprudence, and never 
succeeded in producing even the slightest shadow of a 
proof to their slanderous allegations. 

Eugenie, having been brought up in Spain, France, and 
England, spoke all three languages with equal fluency and 
ease, and prolonged sojourns in Madrid, Paris, and Lon- 
don enabled her to become acquainted with most of the 
prominent men in Europe, who, one and all, greatly en- 
joyed talking to her. We are told that she was in 
boarding-school in England, when Louis Napoleon re- 
turned from his American exile, that she keenly regretted 
the failure of his Boulogne attempt in 1840, and felt so 
sorry when he was imprisoned in the fortress of Ham, 
that she actually wrote to a mutual friend, placing her 
fortune at Napoleon's disposal if it would enable him to 
escape and attain his ends. 

Some people even claim that she frequently met 
Louis Napoleon in London in 1847-48, where the 
VOL. I. — 17 257 



Empresses of France 

romantic interest she had long felt in the nephew of the 
illustrious emperor rapidly deepened into love. It is 
also said that Louis Napoleon was so far from insensible 
to her charms, that he then urged her to marry him ; but 
she insisted upon his postponing all such matters until 
he had reached his goal, when, perchance, he might have 
more ambitious views. The Revolution of 1848, and 
expulsion of Louis Philip, enabled Napoleon to re-enter 
France, where, before the end of the year, he became 
Prince-President of the Second French Republic. 

This was only the first step in his new political 
career, for in 1851 he achieved the Coup d'etat, which 
resulted in his almost unanimous election to the Imperial 
throne in the following year. Even as Prince-President, 
Louis Napoleon entertained a great deal at the Elysee, 
and when the Countess de Montijo and Eugenie reap- 
peared in Paris, they were naturally included among his 
guests. Still, some people claim that Napoleon and 
Eugenie met here for the first time, although they had 
long known about each other through mutual friends. 

At the Elysee, — as elsewhere, — Eugenie was the hand- 
somest of all the women present ; but while Louis Napo- 
leon evidently admired her, he did not distinguish her in 
any marked way. She and her mother were, however, 
invited to a hunting party at Fontainebleau, where 
Eugenie's daring horsemanship so charmed Napoleon 
that he begged his fair guest to accept the horse she rode 
with such grace and skill. Every fall. Napoleon went 
to Compiegne, also, where he invited series of guests to 
take part in the hunts which were given there. Eugenie 
and her mother were among the invited, and they, too, 
enjoyed the afternoon rides in the beautiful forest, and 
the dances or fine plays which succeeded a formal 
evening meal. 

258 



Eugenie 



Some authorities aver that the gallant Prince- 
President often served here as escort to his charming 
guest, contriving once to lose his way in the mazes 
of the forest, where she relieved the wants of a poor 
family, and where he took advantage of the solitude to 
propose again. They state that the proposal was accepted 
then and there, although the engagement was kept so 
secret that, while many suspected, none felt sure of its 
existence. Other authorities state that the Prince- 
President — whose morals were none of the best — made 
use of this opportunity to press a dishonourable suit, 
which the lady indignantly rejected. But the rumours 
afloat concerning this matter are so numerous and con- 
tradictory, that it is not likely we shall get at the real 
truth of the matter for many years to come. 

Although deeply smitten with Mademoiselle de 
Montijo's charms. Napoleon seemed very reluctant 
at first to conclude an alliance which might prove 
detrimental to the accomplishment of his ambitious 
projects. These were his first consideration, and we 
are told that as soon as he had become Emperor, he 
sent a friend to the Countess de Montijo to explain 
that, as the sovereign of a great people, he could not 
openly take Eugenie to wife until his position was more 
assured ; but that he was anxious in the mean time to set- 
tle the matter by a private marriage. This doubtful 
offer was haughtily refused by both mother and daughter, 
the latter declaring such an action unworthy of both 
parties, and adding : " Not a shade of suspicion must 
ever rest on the wife of a Caesar ! " 

Not long after, Eugenie is said to have made 
this fact equally plain to Napoleon himself, if court 
gossip can be credited. It seems that many ladies 
had been invited to witness a review from the windows 

259 



Empresses of France 

of the Tuileries. Riding up beneath the window 
where Mademoiselle de Montijo sat, Napoleon stopped, 
looked up, and inquired pointedly, " How can I reach 
you. Mademoiselle ? " With equal presence of mind 
and wit, Eugenie clearly answered with a gracious smile, 
" By way of the Chapel, Monseigneur," for the nearest 
entrance lay through the Castle Chapel, which was con- 
nected with the apartment where she sat by a small 
stairway. 

The marriage of a prince is always a serious question, 
concerning his family and people as well as himself. 
Queen Hortense, the mother of Napoleon III., had been 
anxious to have him marry his cousin Mathilde, for 
whom he had felt a boyish inclination. But after his 
arrest at Strasbourg, the lady's father refused to sanction 
an alliance between them, and instead gave his daughter 
in marriage to the Russian millionaire DemidofF. This 
union proved so unhappy, that the couple soon lived 
apart ; but as the Pope would not grant them a divorce. 
Princess Mathilde was debarred from marrying again, and 
Napoleon was therefore forced to seek a wife elsewhere. 
He is said to have sued in vain for Russian, Spanish, 
Portuguese, Swedish, German, and English princesses, 
all of whom refused to marry him, because his position 
seemed far from secure at that time, and none of these 
ladies were anxious to experience the sad fate which had 
befallen so many French queens, empresses, and prin- 
cesses during the past fifty years. 

These repeated disappointments, added to his un- 
doubted love for the beautiful Eugenie de Montijo, 
finally determined Napoleon to take her openly for his 
wife, after making sure there was no obstacle to their 
union by asking her frankly whether she had ever loved. 
Eugenie, who was ever truthful, answered bravely : " I 

260 



Eugenie 

would deceive you, sire, did I not confess that my heart 
has been touched, indeed several times, but I can assure 
you of one thing, that is, that I am still Mademoiselle de 
Montijo." " Then you shall be Empress," exclaimed 
Napoleon, who proceeded to make good his word in spite 
of the manifold and vehement objections raised by his 
family and friends. He overruled them all in his usual 
calm, quiet, impressive way, keeping his intentions as 
secret as possible in the mean time, although many anec- 
dotes are told to prove that straws indicated to his ever- 
watchful partisans which way the current was tending. 

Among these anecdotes the following seem pretty well 
authenticated. The Countess de Montijo and her daugh- 
ter naturally formed part of the series of guests invited 
to Compiegne and Fontainebleau, where the Emperor 
was, however, careful not to favour one guest more than 
another. The entertainment at these places was often 
very simple, and after dinner the guests frequently in- 
dulged in impromptu hops, to the music of a mechanical 
piano which boasted only three tunes, a waltz, a polka, 
and a quadrille. These airs were ground out by oblig- 
ing guests in turn, the Emperor taking his place at the 
crank as well as on the floor, where he danced impar- 
tially with all the ladies present. He also walked and 
rode with them in the forest, kindling a fire for them at 
times in some hunting lodge, and enjoying the rambles 
and picnics on the grass as much as any of his young 
guests. 

One day, when strolling over the dewy lawn with 
Mademoiselle de Montijo, Napoleon saw her pause to 
admire a clover-leaf delicately spangled with dew-drops 
which sparkled like diamonds. A few moments later the 
Emperor took occasion to whisper a few words to his 
friend and relative Bacchiocchi, who soon after vanished. 

261 



Empresses of France 

That evening, after his return, the Emperor started forfeit 
games, in the course of which he artfully contrived to 
bestow dainty souvenirs upon each of his lady-guests. 
But although the gifts were apparently apportioned by 
chance, Eugenie received a dainty enamelled clover leaf 
breastpin, studded with small diamond dew-drops, an ex- 
act counterpart of the leaf she had innocently admired 
that very morning. 

This dainty token, which Eugenie generally called 
her " talisman," either plainly visible or partly concealed, 
always formed part of her toilet, simple or elaborate, 
until the Emperor died, when it was sadly laid aside. 
But the Empress resumed it when her son left for Zulu- 
land, and wore it constantly until the news reached her 
that he, too, was no more. The talisman was then dis- 
carded for good and all, and soon after bestowed upon a 
dear friend, the Duchess de Mouchy, with the touching 
request that she should wear it, and that it might bring 
her nothing but happiness. It was also during one of 
these sojourns at Compiegne or Fontainebleau that the 
Emperor once twisted a flowering spray into the sem- 
blance of a crown, and placing it lightly upon Made- 
moiselle de Montijo's glossy curls, softly whispered : " I 
hope soon to replace it with a better." 

These attentions, although viewed with pleasure by 
the Countess de Montijo and the fair recipient, were 
vehy distasteful to Napoleon's friends, some of whom are 
said actually to have gone down on their knees in their 
efforts to make him desist. Besides, we are told that an 
English lady who had followed him to France, refused to 
yield her place to any but. a woman of royal blood, and 
that he had considerable trouble in severing his illicit 
connection with her. To one and all, however, he ex- 
pressed the same iron-like resolve : " I have decided to 

262 



Eugenie 

marry Mademoiselle de Montijo, and I shall marry 
her," so in time all were forced to yield. 

Still, while he seemed indifferent to the opinion of his 
family and friends, he was anxious to know how this 
proposed marriage would strike outsiders. He, therefore, 
suddenly asked a witty court lady, with whom he was 
dancing, whether she would advise a Polish or a Spanish 
alliance ? The lady, who must have had some inkling 
of the state of affairs, delighted him by replying, as if it 
were merely a matter of choice between the character- 
istic national dances : " Sire, if the choice is left to me, 
I always prefer the Cachucka to the Mazurka ! " 

This lady's opinion was not, however, shared by 
every one, and some of the court dames were so anxious 
to put down the fair lady who attracted more than they 
considered her share of imperial attention, that they were 
actually rude. One of these ladies, the wife of a Cabi- 
net minister, showed her aversion for Mademoiselle de 
Montijo so plainly, at the New Year's ball at the 
Elysee, that Eugenie could not conceal her chagrin. The 
Emperor, perceiving it, compelled her to tell him what 
had caused it, and when she informed him, with tears 
in her eyes, that she could never come to court again 
to be so insulted, he quietly answered : " I will avenge 
you. No one will dare insult you after to-morrow." 

The very next day, as French etiquette requires, 
the Emperor sent his best friend to call upon the 
Countess de Montijo, and make a formal proposal for 
her daughter in his name. Of course, the proposal was 
duly accepted, but although the Countess de Montijo was 
elated at the thought of the grand match her daughter 
was about to conclude, she also dreaded seeing her 
seated upon a throne which had made so many women 
unhappy, and wrote to a friend : " I do not know 

263 



Empresses of France 

whether I should be happy or whether I should weep. 
How many mothers envy me, who could not understand 
the tears with which my eyes are filled. Eugenie is to 
be queen over your France, and, in spite of myself, I re- 
member that with you queens have but little happiness. 
In spite of myself, the thought of Marie Antoinette 
takes possession of me, and I wonder if my child will 
not have the same fate ? " 

The first rumour of the event which so greatly 
pleased the Emperor, Eugenie, and her mother, not only 
caused a drop on 'Change, but made the Emperor's friends 
draw long faces, although they knew that the bride he 
had chosen, had, as he expressed it, " intellect enough 
for two persons, and courage enough for three." His 
choice being definitely made, however, it now behooved 
him to impart the news to the Council of State, the 
Senate, and the Legislative Assembly, which he did a 
few days later, in the following speech : — 

" I accede to the wish so often manifested by my peo- 
ple in announcing my marriage to you. The union 
which I am about to contract is not in harmony with old 
political traditions, and in this lies its advantage. 
France, by her successive revolutions, has been widely 
sundered from the rest of Europe. A wise government 
should so rule as to bring her back within the circle of 
ancient monarchies. But this result will be more readily 
obtained by a frank and straightforward policy, by a 
loyal intercourse, than by royal alliances, which often 
create false security and subordinate national to family 
interests. Moreover, past examples have left supersti- 
tious beliefs in the popular mind. The people have not 
forgotten that for sixty years foreign princesses have 
mounted the steps of the throne only to see their race 
scattered and proscribed, either by war or revolution. 

264 



Eugenie 



" One woman alone appears to have brought with her 
good fortune, and lives, more than all the rest in the 
memory of the people ; and this woman, the wife of 
General Bonaparte, was not of royal blood. We must 
admit this much, however: in 1810, the marriage of 
Napoleon I. with Marie Louise was a great event. It 
was a bond for the future, and a real gratification to the 
national pride. But when, in the face of ancient Europe, 
one is carried by the force of a new principle to the level 
of the old dynasties, it is not by affecting an ancient 
descent, and endeavouring at any price to enter the family 
of kings, that one compels recognition. It is rather by 
remembering one's origin ; it is by preserving one's own 
character, and assuming frankly toward Europe the 
position of a parvenu, — a glorious title when one rises 
by the suffrages of a great people. Thus impelled, as I 
have been, to depart from the precedents that have been 
hitherto followed, my marriage is only a private matter. 

" It remained for me to choose a wife. She who has 
become the object of my choice is of lofty birth, French 
in heart and education, and by the memory of the blood 
shed by her father in the cause of the Empire. She has, 
as a Spaniard, the advantages of not having a family in 
France to whom it would be necessary to give honours 
and dignities. She is endowed with the choicest gifts of 
heart and mind ; she will grace the throne and prove its 
strongest support in the hour of danger. A good 
Roman Catholic, she will join me in fervent prayer for 
the welfare of France. Lovely and good, — of this I 
am certain, — she will recall the virtues of the Empress 
Josephine. I have, therefore, come here to tell France 
that I have chosen a consort whom I love and esteem, 
in preference to a stranger through whom I might, per- 
chance, have secured advantages, but for whom I might 

265 



Empresses of France 

also have been called upon to make great sacrifices. 
Without slighting any one, I am following my own incli- 
nations, after considering everything carefully and pru- 
dently. While I prefer independence, good qualities, 
and domestic happiness, to possible dynastic advantages 
and ambitious calculations, I shall be none the less pow- 
erful because I am wholly my own master. 

" I am going immediately to Notre Dame, to present 
the future Empress to the nation and army. The trust 
which they have shown me will surely be granted in all 
its fulness to the one whom I have chosen, and when 
you have made her acquaintance, gentlemen, I am sure 
you, too, will feel certain that I have been led by the hand 
of Providence." 

This announcement, for which the public had been 
duly prepared by a notice in the official journal, was well 
received by the majority of the nation. Not only were 
the people pleased to hear of the Emperor's marriage, but 
the flavour of romance in his choice of a bride charmed 
them greatly. The fact that the future Empress was 
young, beautiful, and accomplished, that she had spent a 
good part of her life in France, and was familiar with 
the customs and language of the country, was also in her 
favour. Hardly an objection was now raised, for, as one 
man frankly told the Emperor : " In the presence of a 
probability, sire, I express my opinion freely. But in 
presence of an actual fact, I am in the habit of keeping 
still, and therefore I consider perfect a thing which can 
no longer be avoided." 

It was, indeed, too late to object, for only one week 
was to elapse between the announcement of the Em- 
peror's marriage and its solemnisation at the Tuileries and 
Notre Dame. So brief a space of time required great 
activity of preparation, and the whole city was soon in a 

266 



Eugenie 



whirl of gossip and excitement. Of course, every one 
wanted to know all they could about the bride, whose 
sayings and doings were widely canvassed, while her 
pictures were sold in great quantities. People also spoke 
of her many admirers, of the great men she might have 
married, and whispered that she had already refused two 
of Napoleon's cousins. Prince Napoleon and Count 
Camerata. The latter is even said to have followed 
Eugenie from place to place, and reported to have com- 
mitted suicide in his despair when the imperial marriage 
was announced. 

Imitation is the sincerest flattery, and Eugenie, who, 
had always been greatly admired, was now carefully 
studied by the women, some of whom actually bleached 
their hair, or used gold powder to secure that rare red- 
gold tint, and hairdressers immediately devised wigs, 
curls, and braids for ladies who were not blessed with 
a wealth of curly locks. It is also said that cosmetic 
dealers and dentists found their business greatly im- 
proved, for all the help of art was called into requisition 
to reproduce Eugenie's complexion, or reveal, as she did, 
a dazzling row of pearly teeth between half-open lips. 

Eugenie and her mother moved from their apartment 
to the Elysee Palace, — which they were to occupy until 
the wedding, — Napoleon having already taken possession 
of his uncle's old quarters in the Tuileries. In fact. 
Countess de Montijo and her daughter had scant time 
wherein to purchase an elaborate trousseau; but wherever 
they went they were followed and admired, the news- 
papers chronicling their every motion, and expatiating 
upon the beauty of the future Empress. Her kindness, 
too, aroused great enthusiasm, and people told how 
she sent a wounded workman home in her own carriage, 
picked up a stray child, and on revisiting her old school 

267 



Empresses of France 

recognised all her former friends and teachers, and affec- 
tionately kissed the nuns detailed to fulfil the humblest 
tasks. 

The newspapers were, however, quite right in calling 
public attention to the coming Empress' benevolence 
and good memory, for throughout her reign she was 
never weary of furthering charitable enterprises, and 
possessed from the first the truly royal gift of never for- 
getting the faces or names of those who had once been 
presented to her. As wedding presents are the natural 
concomitants of most marriages, various cities of France 
prepared their offerings, the city of Paris voting 600,000 
francs for the purchase of a diamond necklace. Eugenie 
won golden opinions by begging — in a charming letter 
addressed to the Prefect — that this sum might rather 
serve to found a home, where poor girls would be trained 
to earn their living. This charitable request was duly 
granted, and, in memory of the ornament the city wished 
to offer the beautiful sovereign, the buildings were dis- 
posed in a semi-circle to simulate a necklace. There, 
poor girls were taught to embroider, make lace and arti- 
ficial flowers, draw, set type, sew, mend, wash, iron, and 
cook, and trained to be good housekeepers as well as 
capable wage-earners. At twenty-one, when due com- 
petency had been attained, each girl received a small 
sum of money, which enabled her either to marry or to 
set up for herself in her chosen business. This proved 
a useful and successful institution, which was often 
visited by Eugenie, whose generosity was commemorated 
by an allegorical painting representing her in bridal 
robes, offering her glittering diamond necklace to a 
group of orphan children. 

But if the future Empress was generous and chari- 
table, the Emperor was both thoughtful and considerate, 

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Eugenie 



for, fearing lest the jewellers might be disappointed, he 
purchased the necklace and placed it in the " corbeille," 
— the usual wedding gift offered by a French bridegroom 
to his bride. This was, however, only one of the items 
forming it, another being, — as custom prescribes, — a 
dainty purse full of gold. But whereas bridal purses 
generally hold small sums, Eugenie's contained 250,000 
francs. This amount she also bestowed in charity, 
after consulting her lover, who paid her daily visits at 
the Elysee, never failing to bring her a bunch of choice 
flowers. This brief courtship, in which the public took 
so lively an interest, was soon over, for the civil mar- 
riage took place on the 29th of January, 1853, ^^ ^^^ 
Hall of Marshals in the Tuileries, in the presence of 
the Emperor's family and of about one thousand dignitaries 
and invited guests. 

Eugenie, dressed in a wonderful gown of point 
d'Alen^on lace over white satin, wore natural flowers 
in her hair, and many costly pearls. A Spanish lady, 
seeing her thus attired, implored her to remove those 
unlucky jewels, reminding her of a Spanish superstition 
to the effect that the more pearls a bride wears on 
her wedding day, the more tears she will shed through- 
out the rest of her life. But Eugenie, generally so 
superstitious, insisted upon retaining her pearls, and thus 
decked out, she drove to the Tuileries with her mother 
and with the Spanish ambassador. She was received on 
alighting from the carriage by Prince Napoleon and 
Princess Mathilde (children of Jerome Bonaparte, and 
hence first cousins to the Emperor), who escorted her 
up the stairs to the hall where the Emperor awaited her 
in gala uniform. He immediately led her into the Hall 
of Marshals, where seats had been placed for them both. 

The brief ceremony was quickly performed, and the 
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Empresses of France 

marriage contract signed and witnessed by the contract- 
ing parties, the Countess de Montijo, the Spanish am- 
bassador, and the Imperial family. It was engrossed 
on the Imperial register, where the last entry was the 
baptism of the infant King of Rome, forty-two years 
before. The ceremony over, the Emperor and his bride 
led the way to the palace theatre, where they and their 
guests were entertained by a cantata composed by Auber, 
wherein occurred the following complimentary mention 
of the Empress and of her sunny native land : — 

* ' Ah, beautiful Spain, 

With thy skies ever bright. 
Thou hast formed her for us 
From a ray of sunlight." 

At eleven, Eugenie returned to the Elysee, escorted 
by her mother, and early the next morning Napoleon 
visited her to attend Mass and take communion privately 
with her before setting out for Notre Dame, where the 
religious marriage was to be celebrated with great pomp. 
Dressed in white velvet, wearing all the crown jewels, 
including the famous " Regent," which sparkled on her 
breast, and the rose-diamond belt, Eugenie was draped 
in the misty folds of a wonderful lace veil — the gift of 
the city of Liege — which fell from the diadem crowning 
her graceful head. At half-past eleven she drove to the 
Tuileries, where she was received with all the honours 
shown to a sovereign, and at twelve, bells rang and 
cannons pealed their one hundred and one salutes. The 
Emperor now appeared on the balcony of the Tuileries, 
to present his bride to the assembled people, who cheered 
madly at the sight of her radiant beauty. The cortege 
soon after left the Tuileries, the Emperor and Empress 
sitting side by side in the wonderful glass coach first 
used for the coronation of Napoleon and Josephine. 

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Eugenie 



Owing to its transparent sides, Eugenie could be seen 
as plainly as if she had been riding in an open carriage, 
and her appearance wrung prolonged and repeated mur- 
murs of admiration from the throngs on either side of 
the street. 

When the coach started from the Tuileries, there 
was a curious repetition of an accident which is said to 
have happened when Marie Louise set out to be mar- 
ried, for the gilt crown surmounting the roof suddenly 
toppled over and fell. This accident, although speedily 
repaired, was viewed by many in the light of an evil 
omen. The glittering procession of state carriages, and 
troops in gala uniform, passed slowly along the rue de 
Rivoli, between hedges of spectators who cheered lustily, 
almost drowning the music of the military bands sta- 
tioned all along the way. Amid flowers, music, and 
acclamations, the Imperial party drove to Notre Dame, 
arriving there only at one o'clock. 

The cathedral, magnificently decorated in red velvet, 
gold fringe, and trophies of flags, was brilliantly illumi- 
nated by thousands of tapers, which poured down floods 
of light upon the gay uniforms, dainty gowns, the flowers, 
jewels, and orders of the brilliant assembly impatiently 
awaiting the arrival of the bridal party. All at once, a 
signal was given, the clergy moved slowly down the 
aisle, the doors were flung open, and the archbishop 
welcomed Napoleon and Eugenie as they appeared on 
the cathedral threshold. Here, dazzled by the lights 
and overcome by emotion, Eugenie faltered and almost 
fainted, but collecting herself bravely, she soon advanced 
at the Emperor's side toward the nave, where two thrones 
had been erected on a small platform. 

The Archbishop of Paris immediately began the im- 
pressive service, which proved so affecting to the bride, 

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Empresses of France 

that the Master of Ceremonies feared she would faint, 
and overheard the Emperor whisper words of encourage- 
ment to her, while tactfully helping her through the long, 
trying ceremony as much as he could. But although 
the Emperor and the Master of Ceremonies were anx- 
ious, Eugenie's self-control and dignity stood her in 
such good stead, that the spectators gazing upon her, 
commented with delight upon her simple, modest, and 
graceful behaviour. 

All the people were charmed when the Emperor; 
proudly led her out of church after the Te Deum, and 
Cassagnac justly declared : " She entered Notre Dame 
chosen by the Emperor, she left it adopted by France." 

The people received her with thunders of applause as 
she stepped out of the cathedral, and her return home 
proved one long ovation. But, in spite of all these joy- 
ful acclamations, which she acknowledged so gracefully, 
a shadow lingered in the Empress' beautiful blue eyes ; for 
even then, in the midst of her youth, joy, and beauty, an 
awful presentiment seized her, and she repeatedly fancied 
she could see Marie Antoinette's pale and woe-begone 
face, peering out at her here and there amid the dense 
ranks of the multitude. 

On arriving at the Tuileries, their Majesties again ap- 
peared on the balcony, before setting out for St. Cloud, 
where they intended to spend their brief honeymoon in 
as much privacy and seclusion as the great can obtain. 
The Emperor made use of this opportunity to drive his 
beautiful bride through the park to Ville d'Avray and 
Versailles, taking no servant with him, and followed by 
no escort. Arrived at Versailles, Napoleon took Eugenie 
into the palace, where she gazed in mournful admiration 
at the various portraits of Marie Antoinette, whose life 
and belongings assumed a strange fascination from the 

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Eugenie 

moment when she first donned the jewels which had 
once adorned this unhappy queen. 

A few days later, in accompanying her husband to the 
newly arranged Museum of Sovereigns in the Louvre, 
Eugenie begged to see Marie Antoinette's testamentary 
letter, and tears came into her eyes when she heard the 
touching words in which this heartbroken mother bade 
farewell to life, and committed her children to the loving 
care of her sister, Madame Elizabeth. 

Not only did the new Empress begin her married life 
by supplying funds for various charitable works ; but the 
first favour she begged of her husband was the pardon of 
4312 persons who had been exiled or transported for 
pohtical offences. She warmly interceded for all such 
criminals, and once tried to convince the Emperor that 
it was impossible a man should find time to conspire 
against any government when he had a wife and six 
children to support ! As her logic was not irrefutable, 
the Emperor merely laughed ; but he granted her request, 
for he was notoriously soft-hearted, and never liked to 
deny anything to his beautiful consort. Although forty- 
five at the time of his marriage. Napoleon was as much 
in love as any youth, and he always paid Eugenie lover- 
like attentions, calling her by pet names, admiring her 
more than any one else, and being as faithful to her as a 
man of his lack of principle could be. 

Napoleon was, however, only one of Eugenie's many ■ 
admirers, for no one could withhold the meed of praise 
she so well deserved. She filled her place with a grace 
and dignity which charmed every one, and her old friend 
Prosper Merimee declares that from the moment of her 
marriage, " she was not merely the central figure of an 
admirable living picture, but a veritable sovereign. She 
knew how to speak and how to keep silence, she saw 

VOL, I. — 18 273 



Empresses of France 

clearly and correctly, because she sought what was good, 
and studied the duties of her state to devote herself to 
them." Her husband, too, bore delighted witness to her 
virtues, declaring, " no woman could suit me better ; she 
is unselfish, cheerful, good, and intelligent." Besides he 
always liked to have her with him whenever he visited any 
charitable institution, for her tact and kindliness enabled 
her to do just the right thing. Her first visit of this 
kind was to the educational establishment of the Legion 
of Honour, at St. Denis, where the Emperor told the 
pupils : " I am happier than on my previous visit, be- 
cause this time I am accompanied by the Empress, who 
will be henceforth the protectress of this establishment, 
and who will discharge this duty so admirably." 

Napoleon and Eugenie rambled together through the 
quaint old city before visiting the ancient cathedral, where 
all the Kings of France had been laid to rest in tombs 
which remained inviolate until the Revolution. There, 
again, the Empress was most attracted by the statue of 
Marie Antoinette, whose remains had been removed 
thither while the Bourbons occupied the French throne. 

The new Empress was also present when the Emperor 
formally opened the Legislative Assembly. On this oc- 
casion, she was accompanied by her mother, and attended 
by all the court ladies, and when she took her seat in the 
gallery, the deputies greeted her with enthusiastic cheers. 
»This was the last state function at which the Countess 
de Montijo appeared before her return to Spain under 
the escort of her old friend Prosper Merimee. The 
latter, on his return to France, was called to the Senate 
by the Emperor, who gave him this post principally be- 
cause he knew it would please Eugenie. Indeed her de- 
light was so great when told of this appointment, that 
she kissed her husband rapturously, although some of her 

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Eugenie 



. attendants happened to be present at the time, and she 
was seldom publicly demonstrative. 

Merimee, a talented writer, whose wit and talents 
charmed every one, was ever welcome at court, 
where he playfully styled himself " the court fool of the 
Empress," for she delighted in his entertaining conver- 
sation, and greatly enjoyed his tales and jests. He 
admired the ease and dignity with which she played her 
part in court pageants, and he and Cassagnac often com- 
mented upon it. In fact, the latter has stated that " the 
distinctive trait of the Empress Eugenie was elegance in 
all things, — in mind, in tastes, in her manner of receiving, 
and in her person. It was through this quality, which 
seems essentially French, and of which Paris is the su- 
preme judge, that during seventeen years she exerted an 
unexampled prestige around her, — not simply in the 
sphere of the throne, but in all the social circles in which 
she entered during the course of her journeys. She was 
beautiful and gracious everywhere and to all, — among 
patricians and among peasants, at Paris and Biarritz. 
Although many women especially favoured by nature 
and by fortune have attracted admiration and received 
homage at court, no one has ever heard it said that a 
single one of them has equalled, much less eclipsed, the 
brilliancy of the Empress." 

Not only was Eugenie the first, but Providence made 
her the most beautiful woman in the land, and as her dress 
was always tasteful and original, she soon became leader 
of fashion too. Gifted with an artistic appreciation of 
colour and form, she naturally studied effect, and as the 
Emperor bade her encourage French manufactures as 
much as she could, she set an example by spending money 
freely for the silks and velvets of Lyons, the laces of 
Alen^on and Valenciennes, etc., etc. Dress, from her 

275 



Empresses of France 

point of view, became an artistic frame for her un- 
common beauty, which was so nearly perfect that she 
could wear anything she chose and always look charming 
in it. 

The papers, from the very first, chronicled her every 
look and gesture, minutely described her attire on every 
occasion, and praised her without stint. This admira- 
tion — to which she had long been accustomed on a 
smaller scale, for she was always a leader wherever she 
went — was naturally very pleasing to the Empress. It 
is also said that she eagerly read all the notices concern- 
ing herself, and that, although she laughed over the exag- 
gerated expressions of adulation, she nevertheless craved 
this sort of notoriety. 

Charmed with her beauty, grace, and elegance, touched 
by her benevolence and circumspect behaviour, — for 
Eugenie never had favourites of either sex, — the people 
all loved her in the beginning of her reign. But when 
the novelty of popular admiration began to wear off, the 
Empress, who was accustomed to travel, variety, change, 
and congenial society, necessarily found court life irksome 
and monotonous in the extreme. For a woman who 
had enjoyed an unusual amount of freedom, and who 
delighted in athletic sports and in open-air pursuits, the 
restraints of her position were particularly trying. 

For instance, she was never alone, but escorted in all 
her walks and drives not only by the court lady whose 
turn it happened to be to attend her, but by officers 
detailed to watch over her safety. Even meals were 
seldom enjoyed in private, for under the Second Em- 
pire the court dignitaries on duty always dined with their 
Majesties, who were thus constantly in representation. 
These dinners were, however, often very simple, the 
Emperor encouraging meriy general conversation, with- 

276 



Eugenie 



out ever permitting any gossip at all. Even state meals 
lasted a remarkably short time, for the service was so 
perfect that their Majesties seldom remained more than 
three-quarters of an hour at table. 

The evenings, too, were quite a borej for when 
the Empress did not attend a theatre, concert, or 
some state function, the household invariably assembled 
after dinner in the Hall of Apollo. There the ladies 
never sat down until the Emperor bade them ; while 
etiquette required the gentlemen to stand all evening, 
unless the exigencies of some game required their 
being seated. Young and old, therefore, stood around 
singly or in groups, hour after hour, beguiling time 
by conversation ; for their Majesties had no real love 
for music, cards, or any other games. Besides the 
Empress, who was a very rapid reader, generally pre- 
ferred to peruse privately the books which interested 
her most, and the Emperor was bored when anything 
was read aloud which was not of a political or scientific 
turn. Such books as these, however, are not appropriate 
for reading in general society, so the entertainment was 
restricted to conversation in which the Empress bravely 
did her share, trying to atone for the taciturnity of her 
spouse. 

All personalities being strictly debarred at court, the 
interest often flagged, and although Eugenie heroically 
tried to keep the conversational ball rolling briskly, it 
often required all her tact and intelligence to prevent 
awful pauses. Young and active-minded, she was loath 
to retire early, and as etiquette forbade her guests leav- 
ing until she had done so, the evenings were often pro- 
longed until eleven or twelve. Besides, the disagreeable 
duty of dismissing guests always seemed so discourteous 
to her, that she often hesitated to give the necessary 

277 



Empresses of France 

word or sign permitting her interlocutor to withdraw, 
and thus, at times, — through sheer icindness of heart, 
— suffered herself and inflicted upon others painful em- 
barrassment. 

As long as the Emperor stood, none of the court 
ladies sat down ; but he was too thoughtful to keep 
them standing long, and often took a seat when he 
would have preferred to stand, to invite them to do like- 
wise. Very frequently, however, the Emperor lingered but 
a moment among his guests to admire his wife's sprightly 
conversation, ere he withdrew to his library, to attend 
to matters of state or pursue the studies he loved. At 
the close of the evening, Eugenie invariably took leave 
of her guests by a deep, characteristic curtsey, which 
gracefully included the people all around her, and which 
no one ever succeeded in imitating with any accuracy. 
But a lady informs us that the door no sooner closed 
behind her, than the unfortunate courtiers all sank into 
the nearest seats, uttering sighs and groans of relief; for 
they were often very footsore long before the evening 
was over. 

Eugenie's private apartments were directly over those 
of the Emperor, and communicated with them by a 
private staircase, which enabled the Imperial couple to 
see each other very frequently in the course of the day. 
To spare his wife any extra fatigue, the Emperor placed 
a gong at the head of this staircase, which she struck 
whenever she wanted him to come up to her, and did 
not care to send for him through a servant. The rooms 
which Eugenie occupied, and which had once belonged 
to Josephine, and since to Marie Amelie, were rather ugly 
when she first took possession of them ; but in time they 
were altered to suit her taste, and finally became dainty 
enough to please their artistic mistress. These rooms 

278 



Eugenie 



were decorated with beautiful pictures, and in one stood 
a huge mirror which reflected the palace garden, the 
Place de la Concorde, the long stretch of the Champs 
filysees, and the Arch of Triumph closing the perspec- 
tive, more than a mile away. 

Although Eugenie had a private oratory where Mass 
was often celebrated for her only, she attended the ser- 
vice in the Castle Chapel every Sunday. Many of the 
court dignitaries had spacious apartments in the Tuileries, 
where they enjoyed family life, entertaining their friends 
as freely as if living in their own houses. But the 
palace, built in an age when sanitary plumbing and 
steam-heating were equally unknown, is said to have 
been a pleasant residence only during a small part of 
the year. It was very cold in winter, and so ill-venti- 
lated and poorly lighted, that lamps were kept burning 
in the narrow corridors night and day. Besides, all the 
water had to be carried up to the upper floors, so house- 
keeping was not easy. This lack of conveniences made 
the palace uninhabitable as soon as warm weather began, 
so the inmates were glad to change their residence to 
St. Cloud, and thus escape from its pestilential odours. 

Count Tascher de la Pagerie, Grand Master of Cere- 
monies of the Empress' household, lived with his numer- 
ous family in the Tuileries, and often gave masked balls, 
which their Majesties attended in disguise, and where 
they greatly enjoyed mystifying their friends. These 
balls proved a welcome break in the monotony of the 
Imperial lives, and Emperor and Empress always felt 
perfectly safe ; for, aside from the usual sentinels and 
guards, the Tuileries were filled with detectives in uni- 
form and in plain clothes. Their duty was to scrutinise 
every person who appeared, to follow the various inmates 
of the palace wherever they went, and be ready to help 

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Empresses of France 

them in any emergency. Whenever a masquerade was 
given in any part of the palace, the guests were forced 
to remove their masks for a moment, so that the detec- 
tives might scan their features, and thus make sure that 
no uninvited guests forced their way into the palace. 
Thus their Majesties were constantly guarded, the chief- 
of-police making a point of following the Emperor 
wherever he went, so as to protect him against any 
attempt at assassination. 

The Emperor and Eugenie had not been married many 
months before they removed to St. Cloud, where the lat- 
ter delighted in the beautiful park with its secular trees, 
spouting fountains, delightful glades, and choice flowers. 
The palace itself was a most charming residence, suffi- 
ciently near the capital to enable the Emperor to attend 
to business there, while enjoying country air and freedom. 
But whereas he was called into the city almost daily, the 
Empress went there very seldom, preferring to revel in 
the shade, and take long walks in the park, often climb- 
ing to the lantern of Demosthenes to enjoy the view, 
which extended over the whole city of Paris. This 
sight was particularly impressive on clear nights, when 
the city lights twinkled in the distance, and the capital 
looked like some luminous monster crouching in the 
plain. 

The Imperial couple remained at St. Cloud until the 
month of August, when they journeyed to Dieppe, where 
they were received with great rejoicings, and revelled in 
invigorating sea baths. Their sojourn there ended. 
Napoleon and Eugenie made a tour through Northern 
France, visiting Arras, Valenciennes, St. Omer, Dunkirk, 
Calais, and Boulogne, and receiving everywhere great ova- 
tions and characteristic presents. In the last-named town, 
for instance, a deputation of fishermen presented Eugenie 

280 



Eugenie 



with a huge silver fish in a net of silver tissue, making 
an appropriate speech. When Napoleon and Eugenie 
visited the Amiens Cathedral, the bishop assured the 
Empress, in the most high-flown terms, of her welcome to 
a town where a saint bearing her name had long enjoyed 
a peculiar veneration. 

This journey ended, their Majesties enjoyed another 
peaceful fortnight at St. Cloud before going to Com- 
piegne for the hunting season. In this castle. Napoleon 
and Eugenie entertained in much the same way as the 
English aristocracy in their country homes, keeping the 
house full of guests, who came for a week at a time, in 
groups or series. These were carefully planned to in- 
clude aristocrats, statesmen, men of science or letters, as 
well as distinguished foreigners, with their wives and 
daughters. Eugenie, who had herself been a guest at 
Compiegne the previous autumn, now made a most 
charming hostess, entertaining her guests, riding with 
them to meet, following the hunt at times, and presiding 
over the picnic-lunches and stately dinners with equal 
ease and grace. 

The numerous guests, who generally passed their 
mornings as they chose, spent most of the afternoon out 
of doors, and in the evening often enjoyed the picturesque 
sight of the "curee" or torchlight quarry, when the 
hounds were fed on the remains of the game. Plays 
and informal dances also formed part of the evening 
entertainment, which was graced by the ladies in their 
finest toilets, each guest deeming it incumbent upon her 
to bring at least fifteen new gowns, and never to appear 
twice in the same. This rivalry in dress, which pleased 
the Emperor because it encouraged trade, was, however, 
a heavy tax upon the guests, some of whom actually re- 
fused invitations to Compiegne because they felt they 

281 



Empresses of France 

could not incur such an expense. The gentlemen, being 
exempt from the same tyranny of fashion, were, how- 
ever, only too glad to form part of the series, which 
included all the men of the time who distinguished them- 
selves in any walk of art, music, science, literature, 
and jurisprudence. 

In 1853, °"^y ^^° series of guests were invited, for 
their Majesties spent only a fortnight at Compiegne. 
But although that time was devoted principally to recre- 
ation, the Emperor convened his council there several 
times, so as to settle pressing matters of state. When 
first elected Emperor, he boldly proclaimed that " Em- 
pire means Peace," but, in spite of this fact, he longed to 
emulate his uncle's military achievements. He was, 
therefore, not sorry to see a war gradually rising in 
Eastern Europe, where Russia and Turkey were on the 
verge of a quarrel, in which France and England were 
ready to take part. While watching the slow develop- 
ment of this crisis. Napoleon returned to St. Cloud, and 
went from thence to Paris, where the winter of 1853-54 
promised to be more brilliant than any which had pre- 
ceded it. 

Knowing that the luxury of the rich supplies work for 
the poor, and hence improves their condition. Napoleon 
encouraged lavish expenditure on the part of others, and 
was very free with his own money too. He also di- 
rected Eugenie to spend her large allowance to the last 
penny ; but while she bestowed considerable sums in 
charity, and spent freely upon her toilet, she was no spend- 
thrift, and never exceeded her income, her accounts 
always balancing with the most praiseworthy accuracy. 
The Empress, who dispensed charity charmingly, and who 
was most generous to her friends, is said, though, never 
to have thought of scattering around her trifling gifts of 

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Eugenie 



no great intrinsic value, which become priceless merely 
because bestowed at the right time and place with a 
graceful word or gesture. This art, in which Josephine 
excelled, was beneath, or beyond Eugenie, who, there- 
fore, in time, earned a reputation for niggardliness which 
she in nowise deserved. She is thus said to have lost 
unconsciously a fine opportunity to win the affections of 
the people around her, which she would, however, have 
been willing to pay a far higher price to obtain. 

The war, which had been looming up in the eastern 
horizon for several months, was finally declared in Feb- 
ruary, 1854, England, France, and Turkey joining forces 
to oppose Russia. England supplied ships, France gave 
money and men, and the Crimean War began gaily, the 
Allies fully expecting it would be over before long. But 
the seat of war being so remote from the capital, society 
did not for a moment suspend its gaieties, in which both 
Emperor and Empress took their full share, for Napoleon 
had found that he must remain in Paris to keep a firm 
hand on the governmental helm, although he would have 
preferred to share the dangers and glories of the French 
troops in the East. In spite of the distance, however, 
he occasionally tried to direct the movements of his 
army, commanded in turn by Generals Arnault, Can- 
robert, and Pelissier, who found climate and cholera 
even worse foes to encounter than the Russians, who, 
nevertheless, fought like heroes. 

After seeing his soldiers embark on the English trans- 
ports at Calais, the Emperor escorted Eugenie to Biar- 
ritz, — a picturesque bathing resort on the Bay of Biscay, 
— and leaving her there to enjoy the sea-bathing, took a 
journey through Southern France. He returned to 
Biarritz only in time to spend his official birthday with 
his wife. Napoleon Day was, as usual, the signal for 

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Empresses of France 

toasts and rejoicings in all parts of the Empire, as well 
as in the French army in the Crimea. The Prefect of 
Paris gave a fine banquet at the Hotel de Ville, where, 
after toasting the Emperor, he gave utterance to the 
national wish, by saying : — 

" To her Majesty the Empress Eugenie. — May God 
bless the Emperor in his dearest affections ! May his 
august helpmate, who feels for the poor and suffering 
children of our cities all the cares of maternity, soon 
know all its joys." 

France was indeed eagerly awaiting an heir to the 
throne ; but while vague rumours had been rife from time 
to time that the Empress was in an interesting condition, 
all had proved quite unreliable, and people were already 
beginning to wonder whether the Empress might not 
remain childless, like Josephine, and thus forfeit her 
right to remain on the throne. It is said that this ques- 
tion troubled Eugenie also at times, for she knew how 
important it was that Napoleon should have an heir, so 
as to make his succession safe in the eyes of the people. 
Her health having suffered from the winter gaieties, 
Eugenie lingered a few days longer at Biarritz, while 
Napoleon went to Boulogne to receive visits from Leo- 
pold, King of Belgium, from the King of Portugal, and 
from Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. 
The last-named guest formally invited the French sov- 
reigns to visit the Queen of England, for the two na- 
tions were now on a friendly footing, and allies instead 
of foes, as had been the case during so many years. 

Meantime French and English, fighting side by side 
at Sebastopol, fancied it would be an easy task to 
become masters of this city ; but instead of carrying 
it by assault in a few days, they had to lay siege to it 
month after month. During this war their forces were 

284 



Eugenie 

fearfully decimated by heat, cold, and disease, as well as 
by the deadly fire in the battles of Alma, Balaklava, and 
Inkermann. The latter engagement, being considered a 
French victory, was celebrated in France with great 
rejoicings. Indeed, the Parisians caught the military 
fever so violently, that they thronged to witness the 
review of the new corps of Imperial Body Guards, 
whose tall stature, glittering uniforms, admirable disci- 
pline, and great bravery, were equally effective in court 
pageants and times of danger. 

Before the end of the year 1854, the Russian Em- 
peror died of pneumonia, and his brother, succeeding 
him upon the throne, determined to end the war as 
speedily as possible. Meantime, Napoleon had been 
very anxious to draw as near the front as possible, and, 
as the Empress was determined to accompany him, the 
Sultan of Turkey began to make extensive preparations 
at Constantinople for the reception of these august 
guests. This journey was, however, viewed with great 
disfavour by all the Emperor's staunchest supporters, 
who frankly told him that there might be no trouble in 
Paris as long as everything went on well ; but that the 
turbulent element in the capital would surely rise up at 
the first hint of disaster, were he not on the spot to hold 
it in check. These remonstrances had already begun to 
undermine Napoleon's determination, when he set out 
early in April, 1855, with Eugenie, for the promised 
visit to Oueen Victoria. 

On landing in England, the Imperial couple were met 
by the Prince Consort, who escorted them to Windsor. 
Their trip thither was one long ovation, all the English 
having turned out to gaze upon the man who had lived 
as an exile among them, and the woman who owed her 
position to her beauty and grace. The Queen received 

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Empresses of France 

them at the foot of the staircase at Windsor, where she 
greeted them cordially, although, as she remarked in her 
diary, it seemed strange thus to welcome the nephew of 
England's greatest foe. Victoria was charmed by both 
her guests, who proved so congenial, that that visit laid 
the foundations for a lasting friendship which was in 
years to come to prove such a boon to Eugenie. 

Wishing to produce a good impression upon her royal 
hostess, Eugenie had carefully designated all the gowns 
she intended to wear during her visit. By some mis- 
chance, however, her luggage was delayed, and when 
she retired to dress for dinner, she found herself without 
a single suitable gown. In her distress, she called the 
Emperor into consultation, and had almost decided to 
accept his first suggestion, — pretend a headache and go 
to bed, — when he suddenly advised her to borrow a 
gown from one of her ladies, and appear in that. Clad 
in a blue silk robe, hastily altered to suit her figure, de- 
void of all ornaments save a few natural flowers in her 
glossy hair, Eugenie, nevertheless, appeared so lovely 
that she created a sensation at the English court. Queen 
Victoria, writing in her diary, says : " She is full of 
courage and spirit, and yet so gentle, with such innocence 
and enjouement that the ensemble is charming. With her 
great liveliness, she has the prettiest and most modest 
manners." 

On the morrow the Imperial couple enjoyed a long 
drive with their hostess, and in the evening attended a 
grand ball in the Waterloo Gallery, where Eugenie — 
now in all her Imperial splendour of attire — danced 
with the Prince Consort, while Victoria opened the ball 
with Napoleon III. 

The next day a state council was held at Windsor, 
and there the Prince Consort and English statesmen 

286 



Eugenie 

concurred with Napoleon's friends in begging him to 
relinquish his plan of visiting the Crimea, and remain at 
home to secure peace and order in Western Europe. 
After this council was over, Napoleon III. was led to 
St. George's Chapel, where the Queen solemnly be- 
stowed upon him the Order of the Garter, an honour 
which he acknowledged in a well-turned English speech. 
This reception in England, where he was now an 
honoured guest, was doubly gratifying to him, because 
he so clearly remembered the years spent there in ob- 
scurity and comparative poverty. The visit was equally 
pleasant to Eugenie, because she felt flattered to have 
won the friendship of the woman whose virtues she 
admired, and whom she knew at the same time to be 
the most respected and influential sovereign of her time. 

The two ladies proved so congenial that the Imperial 
visit seemed all too brief, and Eugenie was glad to have 
Victoria accompany them back to London, where the 
Lord Mayor gave a sumptuous banquet to the Imperial 
guests at Guildhall. While in London, their Majesties 
attended the opera, and visited the Crystal Palace, which 
had so charmed Napoleon that he had arranged to have 
an exposition in Paris, and he now formally invited 
Oueen Victoria and Prince Albert to come there and 
see it. 

The visit ended. Napoleon and Eugenie returned to 
Paris, whence they wrote cordial letters to the Queen 
and Prince Consort, thanking them heartily for the 
pleasure they had enjoyed, rejoicing over the bonds of 
friendship which now united the two thrones, and joy- 
fully anticipating a new meeting next year. 

Only a few days after their return, Eugenie was 
greatly frightened, for the Emperor, riding out one day 
to join her in the park, was suddenly attacked by an 

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Empresses of France 

assassin, whose shots fortunately missed aim. Napoleon, 
as calm and impassive as usual, showed no signs of trep- 
idation when the man attacked him, and rode on appar- 
ently unmoved, through a cheering crowd. But Eugenie 
could not restrain her tears, when the riders spontaneously 
formed a body-guard for her husband, giving him an 
ovation which showed how well they then loved him. 
On reaching the Tuileries, the Imperial couple found 
that the news of the attempt, and of Napoleon's almost 
miraculous escape, had preceded them, for their family 
and household were already assembled to present hearty 
congratulations. Besides, that evening the Emperor and 
Empress attended the opera, where the audience actually 
stopped the performance to give them a special ovation, 
and when they left the building, they discovered that the 
people — wishing to testify their satisfaction — were 
giving them an impromptu illumination. 

The next day. Napoleon and Eugenie drove together 
to Notre Dame, where a solemn Te Deum was sung in 
gratitude for the Emperor's escape from the assassin's 
bullets. But this attempt, together with the advice 
received from his friends at home and abroad, made 
Napoleon perceive that it would be best to relinquish his 
cherished project of visiting the Crimea, and helped him 
turn all his energies to governing his Empire and assur- 
ing the success of the Exposition of 1855. This was 
to be held in the Palais d'Industrie, built in the Champs 
;^lysees for that express purpose, — a building which was 
used for more than forty years for exhibitions of all 
kinds. Napoleon also began the negotiations which 
ultimately ended the Crimean War, in which France 
won glory and honour, but only at the cost of many 
lives and untold suffering. 

The First Exposition in Paris was officially opened by 



Eugenie 

the Emperor and Empress on the 15th of May, 1855. 
It attracted many strangers to the capital, and as long as 
it lasted Napoleon and Eugenie entertained one distin- 
guished guest after another, for princes and dignitaries 
came from all parts of the world to behold it. The 
King of Portugal with his brother was their first royal 
guest, and when his visit was over, the Empress journeyed 
incognita to Eaux Bonnes in the Pyrenees, where the 
physicians ordered her for her health. In spite of pre- 
cautions, a person of such striking appearance could not 
help being recognised wherever she went ; but although 
the people considerately refrained from giving her formal 
receptions, crowds assembled to see her pass, and she 
was enthusiastically cheered whenever she appeared in 
public. 

The Emperor, who had been detained in the capital 
by his manifold duties, joined her only for a few days 
at Biarritz, and escorted her back to Paris, where they 
celebrated Napoleon Day together, before receiving the 
long promised visit of their English guests. Napoleon 
III. met Queen Victoria at Boulogne, and bidding her 
a cordial welcome, escorted her by train to Paris, where 
a grand reception awaited her. Queen Victoria, tht 
Prince Consort, their two eldest children and attendants, 
then drove with the Emperor along the gaily decorated 
and brilliantly illuminated streets, amid the cheers of 
the delighted Parisians, who had not seen any but exiled 
English sovereigns in nearly four hundred years. Thus 
they passed along the Boulevards to the Place de la 
Concorde, all along the Champs Elysees, under the 
great Arch, and through the Bois de Boulogne to St. 
Cloud, where the Empress awaited their coming. 

This drive through Paris, amid music, cheers, and 
dazzling lights, the torchlight procession through the 
VOL. I. — 19 289 



Empresses of France 

Bois, and the formal reception at St. Cloud, where 
Imperial guardsmen stood like statues on either end of 
each step on the grand staircase, made the visit appear 
more like a trip to fairy-land than anything real. And 
the Empress, in diaphanous robes and flashing jewels, 
certainly looked more like a fairy Queen than like a 
mortal woman, thus completing the charming delusion. 
The whole court had assembled in honour of the royal 
guests, who were escorted to their apartments by Napo- 
leon, Eugenie, Prince Napoleon, and Princess Mathilde. 
When the travellers had donned their state apparel, they 
were conducted to the famous Apollo Gallery, where 
the court dignitaries were duly presented. This formal- 
ity over, they took their seats in the banquet hall, where 
an elaborate repast was served with such perfection and 
despatch that the Queen commented upon it afterwards 
in her diary. 

The next day being Sunday, Queen Victoria and her 
family attended private religious services in their own 
rooms, and spent the remainder of the day strolling with 
their hosts through the matchless park, where they 
admired the grand old forest trees, the velvety turf 
dotted with beautiful statues, and viewed with rapture 
the fantastic play of the fountains, whose cool spray 
seemed particularly grateful on a warm August afternoon. 
The next morning the Emperor drove his guests to the 
Exposition, leaving the Empress at home ; for she was 
not strong enough at that time to endure the fatigue of 
sightseeing, and the Emperor feared she might faint in 
a crowded place. As is generally the case in Paris, the 
art-exhibition proved the greatest attraction, and Napo- 
leon, perceiving the Prince Consort's admiration for one 
of Meissonier's pictures, secretly purchased it, and pre- 
sented it to his guest as a souvenir of his visit. After 

290 



Eugenie 

thus spending a few hours at the Exposition, Napoleon 
drove his guests to the Palais de Justice and the Sainte 
Chapelle, pausing on the way thither to point out the 
Conciergerie, where he had been imprisoned in 1840. 

The next day, Napoleon and Eugenie took their guests 
to Versailles, where they visited the castle, saw the 
fountains play, strolled through the grounds, and exam- 
ined the Trianons, so inextricably linked with the mem- 
ory of Marie Antoinette. The day closed with a gala 
performance at the opera, in honour of the English 
Queen, who, as well as her husband, was no mean judge 
of the best music rendered by the greatest artists of the 
day. They were particularly pleased, however, when 
the programme concluded with the English national 
anthem, all the audience uniting in the strain with the 
most flattering enthusiasm. On the morrow, the royal 
visitors viewed the industrial part of the Exposition, and 
drove incognito to the principal points of interest in the 
great capital, leaving the inspection of the art treasures 
in the Louvre until the next day, when they also at- 
tended the great ball given in their honour by the city 
of Paris. 

It had already been rumoured that the Empress — 
who now avoided all unnecessary fatigue — had had the 
famous diamond girdle enlarged ; but owing to the hoop- 
skirts which, it is said, she had recently introduced, no 
one could detect any change in her appearance, when 
she entered the ball-room, leaning upon the Prince Con- 
sort's arm, and closely following her husband and Queen 
Victoria. She took no part in the dancing, however, but 
quietly looked on, while the Emperor danced with the 
Queen, and Prince Albert selected Princess Mathilde as 
his partner. Still, when they proceeded to examine the 
interesting old building, with its fund of historical rem- 

291 



Empresses of France 

iniscences, Eugenie gladly joined them, for she was well 
informed, and took a lively interest in France's past. 

The next day was marked by a grand review on the 
Champ de Mars, and a visit to the Invalides, where Vic- 
toria was deeply impressed by her first sight of Napoleon's 
tomb, and expressed her satisfaction that the prolonged 
feud between France and England had finally ceased. 
A dinner at the Tuileries and a play finished that day, 
the morrow being devoted to the inspection of St. 
Germain, Malmaison, and the Fort on Mt. Valerien, 
and closing with a grand ball in the Hall of Mirrors at 
Versailles. 

The Empress, who had gone thither early in the day, 
so as to rest and dress, received her royal guests at the 
head of the famous staircase, and her white robes, trim- 
med with green, and flashing diamonds, made her such a 
vision of loveliness, that even her husband could not re- 
frain from exclaiming aloud : " How beautiful you are ! " 

This breach of proprieties delighted Victoria, who 
had, meantime, spent several quiet hours with Eugenie, 
and, learning to know her more intimately, admired her 
more and more. These two women, so isolated by their 
exalted positions, felt drawn so closely together, that after 
that visit they corresponded frequently, thus keeping up 
the friendship which was to unite them for many a year, 
and which many trials only strengthened. The ball in 
the brilliantly illuminated hall, where the huge mirrors 
reflected the jewels and lights, as well as the magnificent 
fireworks given in the grounds, is described as one of 
the most brilliant scenes the old palace ever witnessed. 
It produced so deep an impression on those who beheld 
it, that its remembrance still lingers in their memories 
like a vision of enchantment, and the young Princess 
Royal, then about fifteen, is said to have been more than 

292 




CO « 

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[-1 



Pi! 
O 
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Eugenie 

delighted to dance in that beautiful hall with the Em- 
peror of the French for a partner. 

Queen Victoria, having confided to Napoleon her 
affection for Queen Marie Amelie, — whom she was 
then harbouring in her realm, — he drove her the next 
day to the St. Ferdinand Chapel, erected on the spot 
where the young Duke of Orleans had been thrown 
from his carriage and killed. There the Emperor 
bought the Queen one of the Orleanist medals as a 
souvenir. Victoria accepted it wonderingly, but she 
little suspected that the Imperial couple, who were 
now entertaining her so sumptuously, would once be 
driven out of France too, and come to England to claim 
her kindly protection. 

The visit ended, Eugenie parted regretfully with her 
friends, giving them pretty souvenirs of their visit, to- 
gether with fresh flowers from her own garden, and 
watched them drive away with her husband, who es- 
corted them back to their yacht. There he bade them 
farewell, but only after many promises had been ex- 
changed to meet again before very long. 

Sebastopol having fallen at last, after a heroic defence, 
the Parisians celebrated the surrender with grand rejoic- 
ings, for they foresaw that it would hasten the conclu- 
sion of the Crimean War. Soon after this demonstration, 
the Emperor visited the Exposition in state to distribute 
the medals, the Empress and court being present in gala 
attire to lend the ceremony due importance. But al- 
though the awards were made, the Exposition did not 
close, and it was soon after visited by Victor Emmanuel, 
— then King of Sardinia, — who came to Paris with his 
two principal advisers. Nigra and Cavour. These guests 
were entertained almost as sumptuously as Queen Vic- 
toria, a grand hunt at St. Germain replacing the ball at 

293 



Empresses of France 

Versailles, as no ladies formed part of the regal party. 
These guests were, however, bound for England, so 
their visit took place in two divisions, part of the fes- 
tivities occurring only on the way home. 

The greatest pageant that fall was the welcome home 
of the Crimean troops, which the Emperor reviewed on 
the Champ de Mars, while Eugenie witnessed the pic- 
turesque sight from the windows of the Ministry build- 
ing. She now seemed in excellent health and spirits, 
and although none of the vague rumours concerning her 
had as yet been officially confirmed, the fact that she 
took part in very few gaieties, and that her mother had 
come to spend the winter with her, seemed to substan- 
tiate the hope that she was now with child. 

Early in the new year — 1 856 — the Emperor received 
the assurance that the Crimean War was definitely over, 
and during the months of February and March welcomed 
the plenipotentiaries of the different powers who assembled 
in Paris to sign the treaty. 

The announcement made, early in the spring, by the 
Archbishop of Paris, that the nation's prayers were 
requested for the Empress, who expected soon to give 
birth to the longed-for heir, caused a joyful sensation 
throughout the country. Provision was immediately 
made that bells should ring when the decisive moment 
drew near, and that the sex of the new-born child should 
be proclaimed by twenty-one or one hundred and one 
guns, the greater number being, of course, used to 
designate an heir to the French throne. 

Labour having begun early in the morning on March 
15th, the courtiers hastily assembled in the Tuileries, to 
remain there, in a state of feverish suspense, until all was 
over. As in the case of Marie Louise, there were com- 
plications and delays, the expected Prince Imperial com- 

294 



Eugenie 



ing into the world only at three o'clock in the morning of 
the L6th of March, 1856. The Emperor, the Countess de 
Montijo, and three court ladies, with the physicians and 
nurses, were the only persons allowed in the Empress' 
room, until Napoleon himself summoned Prince Napo- 
leon and Prince Lucien — the next of kin — to witness 
the birth of the Imperial heir and testify to his legiti- 
macy. As is always the custom, the Minister of State 
and Keeper of Seals, who were also witnesses, next drew 
up a paper, which the princes signed, thus refuting the 
malicious rumour which one of them started a little later, 
alleging that the heir was a mere foundling, surreptitiously 
smuggled into the Empress' apartment in a warming pan. 

At six o'clock in the morning, the ringing of bells and 
the booming of one hundred and one guns proclaimed 
the joyful advent of an heir, whom the Parisians received 
with as lively demonstrations of joy as any child yet born 
in the Tuileries. It had been arranged that the Pope and 
the Queen of Sweden — a granddaughter of Josephine 
— should be sponsors to Napoleon Eugene Louis Jean 
Joseph, who was privately baptised in the Tuileries 
chapel, immediately after Mass, on Palm Sunday, the 
priest praying aloud : — 

" Good God, watch over this cradle, the resting-place 
of so many hopes. Train Thou the son of the 
Emperor so that he may form the happiness of this great 
nation. Grant him his father's magnanimity, and his 
mother's kindness and inexhaustible charity. To ex- 
press all our wishes in one word, vouchsafe to him, O 
Lord, a heart worthy of his destiny and of his name." 

Those who were present at this impressive ceremony 
on the Prince's birthday, treasured the palms they re- 
ceived as souvenirs of the baptism of the Prince Imperial, 
while the people showed their joy by illuminating the 

295 



Empresses of France 

whole city with a magnificence which had not yet been 
equalled. The public joy was further heightened by the 
announcement that the Emperor and Empress would be 
sponsors to all the children born in wedlock on that day, 
within the limits of their Empire, and by the distribution 
of largesses to the poor and donations to charitable in- 
stitutions, together with the pardon of many political 
offenders. Besides, the " Figaro " was allowed to resume 
publication, — although that paper had been suspended 
for infringement of press laws, — thanks to the witty idea 
of the editor, who addressed an humble petition to the 
new-born babe. 

The Prince Imperial received no less than twenty- 
eight orders in his cradle ; congratulatory poems rained 
down upon the Tuileries from all sides, and the Emperor 
received the felicitations of one official body after an- 
other. One of the many flattering addresses made on 
this joyful occasion he answered as follows : — 

" The Senate has shared my joy on hearing that 
Heaven has given me a son, and you have hailed as a 
happy event the birth of a Child of France. I use this 
expression purposely. The Emperor Napoleon, my 
uncle, who welded into the new system all that was 
great and good in the old, revived this ancient designa- 
tion of Children of France. And truly, gentlemen, 
when an heir is born to perpetuate a national system, 
that child is not only the offspring of a family, but he is 
also the son of the whole country, and this name will 
serve to remind him of his duties. If this was true 
under the monarchy, which represented more exclusively 
the privileged classes, how much more so is it now, 
when the sovereign is the elect of the nation, the first 
citizen of the country, and the representative of the 
interests of the people. 

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Eugenie 



** The unanimous acclamations which surround his 
cradle do not prevent my reflecting over the destiny of 
those who came into the world in the same place and 
under analogous circumstances. If I venture to hope 
that his fate will be more happy, it is because, trusting 
in Providence, I cannot doubt its protection, when I see 
it raise up again, by a series of extraordinary circum- 
stances, all it deigned to erect forty years ago, as if it 
wished to ennoble by martyrdom and misfortune the new 
dynasty which rose from the ranks of the people. Then, 
too, history has its lessons, which I shall ever bear in 
mind. It teaches us on the one hand never to abuse the 
favours of fortune, on the other that a dynasty has no 
chance of stability unless it remains true to its origin, 
and busies itself exclusively with the popular interests 
for whose benefit it was created. This child, who is 
consecrated in his cradle by the peace which is just be- 
ing concluded, by the blessing of the Pope, — borne 
hither by electricity an hour after his birth, — by the 
acclamations of the people whom the Emperor loved so 
dearly, this child, I say, will be worthy, I trust, of the 
destinies awaiting him." 

The Emperor was very happy to have a son, and 
wishing to give equal cause for rejoicing to his army, 
invited his faithful generals, Canrobert and Bosquet, to 
dinner at the Tuileries, and there surprised them both 
by toasting them Marshals of France. 

The Empress, whose ambitions were satisfied, now 
that she had given France its expected heir, felt besides 
that her own position was more secure, for being the 
mother of Napoleon's only son, she would naturally be 
appointed Regent should the child be called to the throne 
during his minority. Still, she gave this welcome heir 
to France only at the cost of some of her exuberant 

297 



Empresses of France 

health, for she was never as strong as before, and could 
no longer endure the same amount of fatigue. But as 
she was a devoted mother, she never regretted her lost 
strength, and showed her gratitude to Providence by 
many charitable works, in which she took even a livelier 
interest than before. 

When she learned that the whole nation wished 
to show its affection for the Prince by some suitable 
gift, she suggested that subscription lists be opened, the 
maximum amount each person was allowed to contribute 
being equivalent to five cents. But even so, the amount 
collected made a large fund which the Empress devoted 
to the maintenance of day-nurseries and orphan-asylums, 
where the children of the poor could be well cared for, 
and which she personally inspected from time to time 
throughout the remainder of her reign. This work 
greatly increased Eugenie's popularity, for the French 
are, as a nation, great child-lovers, and the fact that the 
Empress's own happiness made her think even more than 
before of the unhappy poor, pleased all classes. The 
people, therefore, greeted her more cordially than ever 
when she again appeared in public, for her youth and 
beauty, added to the spice of romance of her courtship 
and the recent halo of maternity, touched all hearts. 

In those days Eugenie seemed very happy, for the 
present was full of interest, the future seemed rich in 
promise, and the clouds which were to darken her com- 
ing years had not yet appeared within her range of 
vision. She recovered sufficiently rapidly from her hard 
confinement to stand the churching ceremony without 
fatigue, and to take a lively interest in the completion 
of the Peace Treaty, which the plenipotentiaries signed 
with a quill taken from an eagle in the Jardin des 
Plantes. This joyful event occurring so soon after the 

298 



Eugenie 



birth of the Prince Imperial, the members of the Peace 
Congress enjoyed many of the festivities given in his 
honour, including the great banquet at the City Hall. 

This entertainment was particularly magnificent, the 
city having spent fifty thousand francs upon the floral 
decorations only, and having arranged for the Empress' 
gratification a series of beautiful pictures representing her 
birthplace and the scenes w^here she had spent her child- 
hood and girlhood. The Elysee, Compiegne, and Fon- 
tainebleau, — so intimately connected with her courtship 
and marriage, — next appeared, and the panorama closed 
with a fine view of the Tuileries, where her son had 
just come into the world, and where he was even then 
sleeping so peacefully in the Imperial nursery. The 
embassies also gave sumptuous entertainments in honour 
of the Peace Treaty, and all the members of the Con- 
gress were invited to the state banquet at the Tuileries, 
where the Imperial couple sat side by side, and presided 
with their usual ease and happy tact. After entertaining 
the King of Wiirtemberg and his suite, the Emperor 
removed his family and court to St. Cloud, for he wished 
his son to have all the benefit of the pure air and the 
fine shade which the park afforded. 

The spring of 1856, which proved so gay in the cap- 
ital, was, however, very desolate in the Rhone and Loire 
valleys, owing to extensive inundations, which in a few 
hours swept away the work of years, and entailed great 
suffering on the people, besides the loss of property and 
life. The news of these calamities no sooner reached 
Napoleon, than he hastened to the scene of the 
disaster, to make sure every possible assistance was 
given to the sufferers, and that no measures of safety 
or relief were neglected. Not only did the Emperor 
make great personal exertions, and distribute private 

299 



Empresses of France 

alms, but he also appropriated one-half the sum voted 
for the Prince Imperial's christening feast for the use 
of the sufferers. His presence on the scene of disaster 
proved very inspiring to the officials, and his gifts and 
sympathy so touched the hearts of the people, that they 
long remembered this deed and showed much gratitude 
and loyal devotion. 

On the 14th of June, the Prince Imperial was taken 
in state to Notre Dame, where four thousand privileged 
guests were to see him christened. The streets of the 
capital were crowded with people eager to view the 
pageant, which greatly resembled the Emperor's mar- 
riage, save that the baby Prince now occupied the famous 
glass coach, while his proud parents followed in the more 
modest conveyance used for the coronation of Charles X. 
The people, who had not yet had a glimpse of the 
Prince, whom they affectionately called " Loulou," gazed 
eagerly at him and cheered him madly. The babe was 
brought into the cathedral by his governess and nurse, 
and after the water had been dashed over his brow, the 
Emperor himself held him aloft to show him to the 
cheering spectators. The child then left the cathedral 
with his attendants, his parents remaining to attend the 
grand Te Deum which concluded the religious cere- 
monies, before they went to the banquet at the Hotel de 
Ville. 

The next day, being Sunday, was devoted to popular 
rejoicings, the theatres all giving free representations, 
which were attended by throngs of people. Besides, no 
less than three hundred balloons rose from various points 
in the city, scattering broadcast great quantities of 
sugared almonds, — the usual accompaniment of a French 
christening feast, — while large supplies of these sweets 
were freely distributed among the children in the public 

300 



Eugenie 



schools. Commemorative medals were also scattered 
by handfuls by numerous heralds, who rode all through 
the city, and the celebration closed with illuminations 
and fireworks which made the day memorable to all who 
beheld them. 

On Monday, there was a grand ball at the City Hall, 
attended by thousands of guests, and on the following 
Thursday, in the Chapel of St. Cloud, Eugenie officially 
received the Pope's christening gifts. They consisted 
of one of the famous papal golden roses for her (a 
golden rose, on a golden rosebush, apparently growing 
in a golden vase, which rested on a beautiful pedestal of 
lapis-lazuli), a picture in choice mosaic for the Emperor, 
and a relic of the sacred manger for the baby Prince. 

Never very robust, the Emperor had contracted rheu- 
matism during his six years' imprisonment in the damp 
fortress of Ham, and as it now troubled him more than 
usual, his physicians sent him to spend the month of 
July at Plombieres. The Empress, meantime, remained 
at St. Cloud with her son, the Emperor writing frequent 
and affectionate letters to her, and proving as anxious as 
any young father absent from home for the first time. 
In one of these letters he says : — 

" You and the little one are everything to me. ... I 
hail with delight the moment when I shall see you again, 
as well as our child, and I am rejoicing so over this 
prospect, that I keep dreading lest in the mean time you 
or he should fall ill. Don't let any one take him near 
the pond during his airings. Don't overtire yourself 
either. All these recommendations may be silly, but 
when I am happy, I can't help being apprehensive." 

Although he wrote thus tenderly to the wife he un- 
doubtedly loved, Napoleon, whose life was far from 
blameless before his marriage, and who was probably ex- 



Empresses of France 

posed to greater temptations than any other man of his 
time, did not long remain strictly faithful to Eugenie. 
A vein of weak sentimentality in his composition made 
him particularly prone to succumb to temptations, and 
although he tried to keep his delinquencies from his 
wife, there were too many persons around him, who, 
through mistaken zeal, or mean delight in the suffer- 
ing of others, revealed to Eugenie all that was going on. 
Truthful and spirited, the Empress rightly considered 
such lapses of morality a disgrace, and, as she was ex- 
tremely frank and fearless, she denounced them in no 
measured terms. 

Napoleon, deficient in moral sense, like most of his 
race before him, instead of reforming, merely tried to 
carry on his intrigues with greater circumspection, and 
seemed greatly hurt when his wife refused to close her 
eyes and ears, let him do just as he chose, and be 
pleased with any attentions he cared to show her. This 
conduct on the part of her husband, sorely embittered 
Eugenie's married life, although, at that time, few 
people suspected this state of affairs, for she had too 
much dignity to show all she felt, and concealed as well 
as she could this unhappy state of affairs. 

The fact that her life was not as happy as it seemed, 
and that she was often cut to the heart by her husband's 
infidelity, drove Eugenie to seek distracting occupations, 
for she often felt as if she would go mad unless she man- 
aged to forget her trials. She, therefore, worked harder 
than ever in charitable and social affairs, and not finding 
those sufficient to occupy her active brain, began to take 
an interest in political matters, from which until then 
she had rigorously abstained. This move, which her 
husband greatly encouraged, was, however, later viewed 
with displeasure by many of the politicians, some of 

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Eugenie 

whom hated to see a woman mixed up in state affairs, 
while others feared lest their corrupt practices might now 
be discovered and ruthlessly denounced. For Eugenie 
was fearlessly frank j she yielded to impulse in the most 
undiplomatic way, and, while tactful and kind-hearted, 
would not countenance any species of wrong-doing or 
fraud. Such rectitude of purpose agreed ill with the 
essentially corrupt government of the time, for many of 
her husband's advisers were mere speculators and even 
more unprincipled than he. 

But while Eugenie despised double-dealing and sub- 
terfuge, she was fair-minded and generous, and never 
resented honest contradiction. Even those who had 
most strenuously opposed her marriage were always 
cordially received at the Tuileries, where, in time, 
many of them became her staunch friends. One of 
the senators, for example, on hearing Napoleon's speech 
announcing his coming marriage is reported to have 
said very emphatically : " A fine speech, but I must say 
I prefer the sauce to fish," thus expressing, at the same 
time, his approbation of the discourse, and his disap- 
proval of the match. Some time after, when dining 
at the Tuileries, the Empress, who was sitting near 
him, ventured to remark, as he helped himself to 
turbot : " Why, senator, I thought you liked the sauce 
only and hated fish ! " The arch glance accompany- 
ing the remark quite reassured the senator, who, bow- 
ing gallantly, informed her that " his tastes had changed," 
for by this time he had discovered what a really superior 
woman she was. 

As soon as the Emperor returned from Plombieres, he 
took his wife and son to Biarritz, where he celebrated 
the anniversary of the fall of Sebastopol, his wife and 
son appearing for a moment at the grand banquet, to the- 

303 



Empresses of France 

delight of all the officers present. The Imperial family 
lingered at Biarritz until the 30th of September, and 
stopping at Bordeaux on their way home, made only a 
brief sojourn at St. Cloud before going to Compiegne for 
the fall hunts. This was their first visit to this palace 
since war had been declared, and as the nation was 
now at peace, and had even formed an alliance with its 
former foe, no bad tidings came to mar their brief 
sojourn there. The distinguished guests forming the 
three series entertained that fall at Compiegne included 
statesmen, financiers, military heroes, and men of letters, 
as well as such musicians as Auber, Meyerbeer, and 
Verdi, and the famous artist Horace Vernet. 

Although the Emperor convened his cabinet there 
from time to time, politics were otherwise tabooed, and 
the principal diversion consisted in hunting parties, at- 
tended by ladies as well as gentlemen, in torchlight 
quarries with huntsmen and hounds, and in the plays 
given in the castle theatre by the best actors from the 
metropolis. While most of the pretty and distin- 
guished women were present, none could compare with 
Eugenie, either in the ball-room or the hunting field, for 
she was as beautiful and as well dressed as ever, and her 
horsemanship was extremely graceful, as well as daring. 

After spending three weeks at Compiegne, their 
Majesties returned to the Tuileries, where, before the 
close of the year, they entertained the Prince of Prussia 
and his friend Bismarck. The latter already had his eyes 
wide open ; he gauged the character of Napoleon pretty 
accurately, and greatly admired his wife and child ; but 
on the return journey, he is said to have remarked that it 
was very sad to hear the peasants in the Vosges Moun- 
tains still talking German. These guests, who were to 
prove France's most relentless foes, were entertained with 

304 



Eugenie 



great splendour, a brilliant review, a hunt at Fontaine- 
bleau, a ball at the Tuileries, and a gala performance at 
the opera, being only a small part of the festivities in 
their honour. 

Early in January, Eugenie held a state reception in 
the Throne Room in the Tuileries, u^here many ladies 
were presented to her. On such occasions all the Im- 
perial household was on duty, and the court ladies had 
to stand in groups behind their mistress, — a trying 
ordeal, as they were required to preserve graceful atti- 
tudes, which proved quite a task, for they had not even 
a chair-back upon which to lean or rest a hand from 
time to time. This state reception was speedily followed 
by one of the official balls at the Tuileries, which was, 
as usual, a brilliant pageant. The old palace was all 
a-glitter with lights, the Imperial Guards, in gala uniform, 
stood like statues on either side of the great staircase, 
military men and officials of all kinds appeared in full 
uniform, wearing all their orders, and the ladies vied 
with one another in the freshness and elegance of their 
gowns and in the splendour of their gems. The Em- 
press generally wore the finest crown jewels, and it was 
she who opened the ball by dancing the first quadrille 
in the Hall of Marshals, which, like all the other state 
apartments, was elegantly decorated with a wealth of 
palms and of choice flowers. 

This fete was the signal for other social diversions, 
Walewski, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, giving a very 
successful masked ball which was attended by all the 
court. The costumes were varied and tasteful, and as 
every one knew that the Em-peror and Empress would be 
present in disguise, all hoped to recognise them in spite 
of their masks. The Imperial couple, however, circu- 
lated about the rooms in dominoes during the first part 
VOL.1. — 20 305 



Empresses of France 

of the evening without being discovered. Then, wishing 
to mystify the people still further, the Empress cleverly 
escaped, changed her costume, and, reappearing soon after 
as a gipsy, began to tell the guests' fortunes. She was 
nevertheless recognised by Imbert de St. Amand, the 
faithful and voluminous chronicler of the lives of many 
of the French Queens, and he gracefully assured her 
that, even under a mask, she still bore the sceptre of 
beauty, not to mention any other, less potent over the 
hearts of men. 

Early that spring, their Majesties entertained the 
Grand Duke Constantine, proudly showing him the 
wonders of the French capital, which was daily becom- 
ing more beautiful under the Emperor's directions. 
Baron Haussmann, who had charge of this work, opened 
broad thoroughfares, made parks, planted trees, built 
fountains, and laboured so energetically that he com- 
pletely transformed the capital, while retaining most of its 
historical buildings and all its former attractive features. 

All these improvements were carried out by order of 
Napoleon III., who longed to give light and air to the 
densely populated quarters of the city. He also insisted 
upon planting flowers in the squares, although his advisers 
declared it would be folly to do so, as the people would 
immediately destroy them all. The Emperor persisted, 
and was simply triumphant when he proved that the 
people enjoyed and appreciated his efforts in ♦their 
behalf, and were quite content merely to admire the 
blossoms planted for their delectation. During a brief 
sojourn at Fontainebleau, where the Emperor entertained 
his Russian guest by a grand hunt, Eugenie inspected all 
the charitable institutions of the town, pleasing every one 
by her graceful kindliness, and by the genuine sympathy 
which she felt for all such undertakings. In the eve- 

306 



Eugenie 



ning, she took her guest out on the balcony, to witness 
the torchlight muster of huntsmen, game, and hounds, 
and on the morrow drove with him and her husband all 
through the picturesque old forest. 

It was at Fontainebleau also that they received their 
next royal guest, Maximilian of Bavaria, who enjoyed 
the hunts and drives too, and in whose honour the castle 
was illuminated and superb fireworks given. The Im- 
perial couple next escorted their august guest to the 
capital, where he spent a week in a dazzling round of 
reviews, banquets, balls, and entertainments of all kinds, 
not to mention gala performances at the theatre and 
opera. 

All the sovereigns had been charmed with their 
reception in Paris, but as the Emperor could not possibly 
return these distinguished visits in person, he deputed 
his cousin. Prince Napoleon, to represent him at the 
Prussian, Bavarian, and Saxon courts. While the Prince 
was acquitting himself of this duty, their Majesties 
removed to St. Cloud, whence they started early in 
August to visit Queen Victoria at Osborne Castle, in 
the Isle of Wight. As the reigning families could now 
meet on the familiar footing of old friends, this sojourn 
proved most agreeable. Besides, the two courts seized 
this opportunity to settle several political questions in an 
amicable way, thus strengthening the bond of friendship 
between both nations, as well as between the two 
families. A few days after the departure of these guests, 
Victoria set out on a yachting expedition, in the course 
of which she and her family landed in France, thus mak- 
ing, as she playfully wrote to Napoleon, " a peaceful 
invasion of Normandy." No official notice of this visit 
having been given, no formal receptions were tendered, 
but the Queen and her family greatly appreciated this 

307 



Empresses of France 

absence of all pomp, and particularly enjoyed journeying 
from place to place like ordinary tourists. 

Meantime, their Imperial Majesties had returned home 
to preside over the formal opening of the new Louvre, 
now joined to the Tuileries, and thus forming but one 
vast building. This work, which had long been planned, 
was begun in 1852, and had only just been completed. 
The various pavilions were richly decorated by the prin- 
cipal artists of the day, who were, therefore, present when 
the Emperor inaugurated this magnificent building, and 
received from his hand their well-earned decorations. 

Napoleon also invited all the workmen to a magnifi- 
cent banquet, which was served in the palace they had 
helped to erect, and graced by the Imperial couple, who 
acted as hosts. So that none of the labourers should 
have cause to regret a whole day spent in idleness and 
feasting, Napoleon ordered that their wages should be 
paid in full that day, although no stroke of work was 
done. He also made a very happy speech at the end of 
the banquet, and he and Eugenie showed particular 
interest in the only woman present. They then learned 
that she was the widow of a stone-cutter, and that she 
had worked bravely to finish her husband's contract, 
thereby earning enough to feed her penniless chil- 
dren. 

The Emperor's kindly attitude toward all the Paris 
workmen greatly increased his popularity, as was shown 
by the volume and fervour of the cheers which greeted him 
on the morrow, when he appeared in public to celebrate 
" Napoleon Day," as usual. Soon after, his wife and 
son set out for Biarritz, while he inspected the camp at 
Chalons, and made a brief journey to Stuttgart, where he 
met many of the distinguished persons he had enter- 
tained at various times in the Tuileries. This diplomatic 

308 



Eugenie 



visit over, he hastened to Biarritz, whence he made several 
short excursions, for he took a lively interest in agriculture, 
and had purchased vast stretches of waste lands in various 
parts of the country, to show the people what drainage, 
irrigation, and intelligent cultivation could do for the 
redemption of barren soil. These model farms proved 
invaluable object-lessons to French farmers, who were 
particularly slow to adopt new methods, and so conserva- 
tive, that they would never have consented to make use 
of modern agricultural implements and ideas, had they not 
beheld these practical demonstrations of their worth. 

The Empress adopted Biarritz as her favourite summer 
resort, not only because she enjoyed the view from Villa 
Eugenia, and delighted in sea bathing and yachting, but 
also because it was so near Spain. She could thus make 
frequent excursions into her native land, and at Biarritz 
met many Spaniards with whom she liked to converse in 
her mother tongue. 

During this sojourn, Eugenie made an excursion over 
the border to St. Sebastian, where the Spanish authorities 
gave her a charming and characteristic reception, which 
she greatly enjoyed. This was the most exciting event 
during her stay at the seashore, where the little Prince 
grew brown and rosy, and was much admired as he 
played for the first time in the sand. Soon after her 
return home, Eugenie went with the Emperor to 
Chalons, making use of the magnificent, new train of 
cars presented to the government by the railroad com- 
pany. This consisted of eleven carriages, connected by 
a species of vestibule, — a great novelty in those days, 
— and comprised sleeping, dining, and drawing-room 
cars, all decorated with great taste and skill. The Em- 
press was not, however, as sumptuously lodged at 
Chalons, where accommodations were improvised ; but 

309 



Empresses of France 

she merrily adapted herself to camp life, and greatly 
enjoyed seeing the various military manoeuvres. 

After another brief sojourn at St. Cloud, the Imperial 
family removed to Compiegne to entertain five series of 
distinguished guests. One of the ladies visiting there 
makes the follovi^ing mention of the baby Prince, w^ho 
was now^ an attractive child of about a year and a half: 
" The little Prince is perfectly healthy, and as intelligent 
and nice as can be. I am very glad to see hovv^ little the 
Empress spoils him. When he falls, he has to pick 
himself up, and he has already been taught not to cry. 
Moreover, he is obedient. The Emperor vv^ould be more 
inclined to indulge him. He is an amiable child, aWays 
merry and good-humoured. On his mother's birthday, 
the officers of both regiments came into the gallery to 
present their good w^ishes. The Emperor and Empress 
went all around the circle, followed by the little Prince 
in his nurse's arms. He has already been trained to 
salute military fashion, and to throw kisses. Of course 
the two styles of greeting get rather jumbled at times, 
but you can readily imagine that such a state of affairs 
makes him all the more successful ! " 

The Compiegne festivities ended, their Majesties 
enjoyed one day only of unbroken family life before 
returning to the Tuileries, where the season soon began, 
and countless demands were made upon the Empress' 
time and strength. She had spent, on the whole, a 
pleasant and profitable, although rather uneventful year ; 
but whereas 1857 had been peaceful and quiet, 1858 
was to prove far more stirring. 

Early in January, their Majesties decided to attend a 
benefit performance at the opera. This arjpouncement 
was eagerly welcomed by an Italian, named Orsini, who 
had come to Paris intending to kill the Emperor, be- 

310 



Eugenie 



cause he fancied Napoleon faithless to the Carbonari 
oath he had taken in Italy, and thought that he pre- 
vented that country from securing its freedom. The 
anarchist had several accomplices, who came with him 
from England ; but although the French police had 
received timely warning, they had, as yet, not managed 
to lay hands upon any of the suspected persons. Orsini 
and his three associates were posted near the theatre, 
armed with bombs which they meant to throw at the 
Imperial carriage as it drove up under the opera porch. 
On their way to the scene of this attempt, one of these 
men was arrested ; but the others were all at their post 
when Napoleon arrived with Eugenie, his carriage sur- 
rounded, as usual, by a mounted escort. As had been 
arranged, two of the men threw their bombs, which, 
falling between the horses of the first group of guards 
and those of the coach, exploded with a loud noise. 
Every gas jet in the street was put out by the concussion, 
every pane of glass in the neighbourhood broken, and 
the seventy-six missiles the bombs contained scattered 
far and wide, killing ten persons and wounding about 
one hundred and fifty others. Several of the horses 
were positively torn to pieces, and the Imperial carriage 
completely riddled with shot. 

At the first report, Eugenie bravely threw herself in 
front of her husband to protect him from further danger, 
although a fragment of glass had cut her temple. The 
Emperor's hat was later found perforated like a sieve, 
but he was quite unharmed, and just as calm as ever. 
One of the detectives posted near the theatre entrance, 
sprang forward as the explosion occurred, and tore open 
the carriage door to rescue their Majesties, whose danger 
was increased by the kicking and plunging horses. The 
Emperor, not hearing his excited : " Sire, Madame, 

311 



Empresses of France 

descendez ! " and mistaking him in the darkness for 
one of the assassins, struck out boldly, knocking him 
down, a feat which the detective later declared reassured 
him effectively concerning his master's complete safety. 
Leaving the detective to pick himself ap as best he 
could, the Emperor sprang out of the carriage, lifted 
Eugenie out, and hurried her right into the theatre-lobby, 
where, although pale and trembling, she dauntlessly 
cried : " Come, Louis, let us go out again and show them 
we are not cowards like them." .The Emperor, cooler, 
although not less brave, refrained, because he knew the 
police had its hands full enough caring for the wounded, 
securing the assassins, and restoring order in the street, 
where the sudden extinction of all the lights greatly 
added to the horror and confusion. 

The Emperor, therefore, contented himself with giving 
explicit orders that the wounded should receive every 
care, and despatching an emissary to the Tuileries, to 
make sure that a similar attempt had not been made to 
kill the little Prince. Then, knowing their presence 
might prevent a panic in the crowded theatre when the 
event became known, he and the Empress entered their 
box as quietly as if nothing uncommon had happened. 
When the audience learned, however, that the noise they 
had mistaken for salvos of artillery had been in reality a 
dastardly attempt at murder, they gave their Majesties a 
touching and spontaneous ovation. Eugenie, whose white 
silk dress was spotted with blood, acknowledged these ac- 
clamations as gracefully as usual, but the colour did not 
return to her cheeks, until she learned that her son was 
safe, and no attempt had been made on the Tuileries. 

The news of the explosion spread far and wide, creat- 
ing a tremendous sensation, and when the performance 
was over, and their Majesties again ventured out into the 

312 



Eugenie 

street, they found an immense crowd stationed all along 
their passage. The houses on either side were brilliantly 
illuminated, and they received an ovation which sounded 
like the roll of thunder to the people anxiously awaiting 
their coming at the Tuileries. There, too, all the lights 
were burning brightly, and the big rooms crowded, for, in 
spite of the advanced hour, all the courtiers and officials 
had hastened to the palace, to present their heartfelt con- 
gratulations upon their Majesties' narrow escape. 

It was very late, therefore, before Napoleon and 
Eugenie could retire, and the Prince's nurse had long 
been asleep, when she was awakened by the opening of 
the nursery door, and, starting up, saw the Imperial couple 
steal on tiptoe to the cradle of their sleeping child. 
There, they knelt in tears, and kissed the unconscious 
little sleeper, before they stole away again as noiselessly 
as they had entered ; but although they fancied them- 
selves unseen, this touching episode had made a deep 
impression on the attendant's heart. 

No trace of emotion was visible in either Emperor or 
Empress the next day, however; and while the police 
was still busy arresting the assassins, they drove out 
together unattended, passing all along the Boulevards, 
and through the most densely populated districts, where 
the people rewarded them for the confidence they showed 
by cheering them madly. That day and the next was 
taken up in receiving deputations and congratulatory 
addresses, and on the 17th their Majesties were present 
at the solemn Te Deum, sung in Notre Dame in honour 
of their almost miraculous preservation. In fact, had not 
one of the criminals been arrested, and Orsini refrained 
from casting the last bomb after the lights went out, 
their Majesties would inevitably have perished, as was 
clearly demonstrated in the trial which began about a 

3^3 



Empresses oi France 

month after this memorable attempt. Had the Em- 
peror's life alone been endangered, he would gladly have 
pardoned the assassins ; but he could not liberate a crim- 
inal whose attempt had cost the lives of many innocent 
persons, so the trial proceeded without any interference 
on his part. 

Orsini confessed his guilt, was tried and sentenced ; 
but although he attempted to clear his accomplices, they 
were sentenced too. Before paying the penalty of his 
crime, however, Orsini wrote to Napoleon, imploring him 
to interfere in Italy's behalf. This passionate appeal, 
added to his own convictions, and to a warning received 
from England that a hundred Italians were pledged to 
kill him, if he did not help their oppressed country, finally 
determined Napoleon to undertake the Italian war, in 
spite of the disapproval he knew he would incur on the 
part of certain of the European powers. 

It took some time, however, to reach this decision, 
and before his plans were fully matured. May again 
came around, and the Imperial family removed to Fon- 
tainebleau to enjoy the spring in that charming retreat. 
The Emperor felt a special affection for this palace, 
where he remembered being christened at the age of 
three, when Napoleon I. and Marie Louise acted as his 
sponsors. The forest also had delightful associations for 
him as well as for Eugenie, for they had ridden through 
it in the days when the Emperor first began his courtship. 

After enjoying a few weeks together in this ideal 
retreat, the Imperial couple returned to St. Cloud, where 
the Emperor left his wife and son, while he went to 
Plombieres to undergo treatment for rheumatism. It was 
at this bathing resort that >fapoleon had his famous 
interview with the Italian statesman Cavour, and arranged 
with him that Prince Napoleon should marry Princess 

314 



Eugenie 



Clothilde, Victor Emmanuel's daughter, in exchange 
for French help in driving the Austrians out of the 
peninsula, and making Italy free " from the Alps to the 
Adriatic." 

This momentous interview, which was to have such 
important results, attracted very little attention at the 
time, the public taking far more interest in a meeting 
which took place, soon after, at Cherbourg, between 
Victoria and Napoleon. Both sovereigns went thither 
accompanied by their consorts, and the Imperial couple 
not only boarded the English yacht to welcome their 
guests, but escorted them ashore amid booming cannons, 
rolling drums, the loud blare of the military bands, and 
the cheering of the vast crowds assembled to see them. 

But coming events were already casting their shadows, 
and Victoria commented upon the fact that the Emperor 
seemed embarrassed, while Eugenie was just as modest 
and charming as ever. This time the visit was very 
brief, a fact which Napoleon did not regret, for he knew 
that England would not approve of his coming policy. 
Still the sovereigns had several pleasant drives together, 
and Victoria enjoyed reviewing the French troops drawn 
up in battle array in her honour. 

When the royal guests had departed, the Imperial 
couple inaugurated a new basin, visited sundry vessels of 
their fleet, and unveiled the statue of Napoleon I., which 
had recently been erected in the city which he trans- 
formed into one of the finest military ports the world 
has ever seen. 

Napoleon and Eugenie next made a journey all through 
Brittany, which seemed like a triumphal progress, for the 
people there received them with extravagant demonstra- 
tions of joy. Flowers, addresses, and presents of sundry 
kinds were showered upon them, the Empress receiving 

315 



Empresses of France 

them all with her wonted tact, but showing most pleas- 
ure when a little child at Auray gave her a dainty rosary 
for the baby Prince. Her beauty created a sensation 
wherever she went, and the wives of the officials thought 
nothing too good for her, and on one occasion, at least, 
are said to have made her very uncomfortable by decking 
her bed with white satin sheets, for they thought nothing 
else would do for so dainty a creature. The Empress, 
however, knew how kindly all these attentions were 
meant, and was, therefore, careful to acknowledge all 
tokens of love and interest with the graciousness they 
deserved. 

The Imperial tour ended on the 2ist of August, when 
their Majesties returned to St. Cloud, where they found 
their son in the best of health and spirits. They took 
him with them on their next journey, which was directed 
to Biarritz, where they spent the month of September, 
enjoying the sea baths. Immediately after their return 
to St. Cloud, Napoleon went to the camp at Chalons, 
where he inspected his troops and watched them perform 
their complicated evolutions with great precision and 
skill. The Empress soon joined him there, and Napoleon 
welcomed her with a display of all the military pomp at 
his command, giving a grand review for her especial 
benefit. They next journeyed together to Rheims, where 
they spent a few days visiting the quaint old town, and 
viewing with special interest the famous cathedral where 
nearly all the French Kings were solemnly anointed 
before their coronation. And there they remembered 
that the last ceremony of this kind in the venerable old 
building had been the consecration of Charles X., who 
had died in exile, and whose family was still in Austria. 

In the beginning of November, the Imperial family 
went as usual to Compiegne for the hunting season, 

316 



Eugenie 



which this time extended over five weeks, and proved 
most enjoyable to all those who made part of the famous 
series. The Empress was, as usual, the most beautiful 
among the many handsome women present, and she and 
her husband were very glad to lay aside much of the 
formal court etiquette, and to entertain their guests like 
private parties. The picturesque meets in the forest, 
where the rich hunting garb of the women, the red coats 
of the men, the spirited horses, and sleek hounds formed 
such a pretty picture, was the main diversion, and the 
Empress herself frequently took an active part in this 
sport. She seemed as young and rode as well as ever, 
and greatly enjoyed the exhilaration of her favourite ex- 
ercise, in which many of the lady guests were glad to 
indulge in her company. 

The party did not break up until the 5th of Decem- 
ber, when Napoleon and Eugenie returned to the Tui- 
leries to begin the winter of 1858-59, which was to 
prove so very eventful. The new year began very 
quietly, but many suspected that this state of affairs 
would not long continue, when Napoleon remarked to 
the Austrian envoy on New Year's Day : " I regret that 
our relations with your government should no longer be 
as friendly as in the past ; but I beg you to assure the 
Emperor that my personal feelings are quite unchanged." 

The relations were no longer so cordial, simply be- 
cause Napoleon had determined to help Victor Emman- 
uel drive the Austrians out of Italy as soon as the 
marriage between Prince Napoleon and Princess Clothilde 
was concluded. Although barely fifteen, this Princess 
was united early in February to Prince Napoleon, who 
went to Turin to get his bride, and brought her back to 
Paris in triumph. There they were received with all 
honour, and although the Princess was not at all pretty, 

317 



Empresses of France 

she was so quiet and dignified, so proud of her noble 
descent, and so self-possessed, that she played her part very 
creditably. Eugenie, touched that so young a creature 
should already be married, — and to so undesirable a 
husband as Prince Napoleon, — met the bride cordially; 
but the latter fancied herself far above the Empress, and 
considered her a mere adventuress, or a parvenue, 
while treating her with perfect outward politeness. All 
Eugenie's attempts to win Clothilde's liking were, there- 
fore, unavailing, and many of her kindly speeches were 
answered with repellent coldness. For instance, the 
Empress once sympathetically inquired whether she did 
not find court ceremonials very irksome, whereat the 
Princess stiffly answered : " No, not at all ; but then 1 
am so accustomed to them at home." 

The Princess was very narrow-minded and bigoted, 
seldom appeared at court unless circumstances required, 
spent all her time with her children or in practices of 
devotion, and always seemed to resent the fact that her 
husband had once been in love with Eugenie, and had 
vainly tried to marry her. She was not more hostile to 
the Empress than her husband, however, whose enmity 
had ceased to be veiled ever since the birth of the Prince 
Imperial. 

Indeed, the advent of this child proved a bitter dis- 
appointment to Prince Napoleon, who hoped to be his 
cousin's heir and successor. He not only tried to cast 
a slur upon the Prince's birth, declaring he was a suppos- 
ititious child, but failing to win credence for that state- 
ment, sedulously spread all manner of evil reports 
concerning the Empress' vanity, extravagance, and lack 
of dignity, until he finally succeeded in poisoning many 
minds. Seeing none would believe the story he circu- 
lated concerning the Prince's birth, — which was besides 

318 



Eugenie 



confuted by the fact that he himself was one of the wit- 
nesses who testified to his legitimacy, — he next tried to 
convince people that the Prince was only half-witted, 
and never mentioned him save as " that poor infant." 
Of course the appearance of the bright little Prince soon 
refuted this slanderous assertion also ; but the mother 
naturally resented such rumours, and, as she despised 
Prince Napoleon on account of his profligate character 
and cowardice, she did not take much trouble to conceal 
her opinion of him. Too frank and fearless to dissimu- 
late, she let fly many a shaft, which apparently glanced 
off Prince Napoleon's armour of polished indifference, but 
in reality left rankling wounds which he avenged in the 
basest way. ^ 

Meantime, the Empress was present at the solemn 
assembly of the Legislative Body on February 7th, 1859, 
and she and the bride, attended by all the court ladies, 
sat in the gallery to listen to the Emperor's opening ad- 
dress. In this speech Napoleon again hinted at the 
coming war, but its shadow was not allowed to dim any 
of the festivities, and all agreed that the capital had never 
seen so gay a carnival season. Entertainments were so 
numerous, that many people attended four or five in the 
course of the same evening, and all were unusually bril- 
liant. But all others paled before the fete which the 
city offered to the bridal couple, and before four masked 
balls given by the Minister of State, the Minister of For- 
eign Affairs, the Legislature, and the Court. These 
were all as gay as possible, the costumes surpassing all 
description, and the interest of the guests being height- 
ened by the fact that their Majesties appeared masked 
at all save their own ball. 

All these worldly gaieties were, however, quickly 
succeeded by the Lenten austerities, the court giv- 

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Empresses of France 

ing no formal entertainments during that season, 
save concerts once a week. Still Eugenie continued to 
entertain informally on Monday evenings, when two or 
three hundred guests often dropped in at the Tuileries, 
to pay their respects to the handsome Empress, whose 
sprightly conversation many of them greatly enjoyed. It 
was also during these winter months that the Emperor 
began his famous " Life of Caesar," which was to 
occupy his leisure hours for several years,' and proved 
a very absorbing and congenial occupation to a man of 
his studious turn of mind. 

Early in March, Eugenie went in state to the opera, to 
view the first public performance of Gounod's " Mignon," 
an opera which proved a great and lasting success, and 
which is still one of the popular favourites. Then, during 
Holy Week, their Majesties also visited the Salon, circu- 
lating freely among the other visitors, and greatly admir- 
ing Yvon's recently completed " Courtine de MalakofF," 
which now graces the " Hall of Battles " in Versailles. 

On Holy Thursday, the Empress became aware that 
matters were rapidly reaching a crisis, so her Easter was 
not wholly untroubled. Still she had to wait and dis- 
semble, until diplomatic machinations brought about the 
war in which France and Piedmont pitted their forces 
against Austria. Troops were immediately hurried into 
Italy by land and by sea, and the Emperor prepared to act 
as General-in-Chief of his own army. But before leav- 
ing France, he appointed Eugenie Regent, with his uncle 
Jerome Bonaparte as her chief adviser. He also issued 
a proclamation, wherein he committed his wife and the 
Prince Imperial to the loyalty of the nation, saying : 

" I entrust them both to the valour of the army which 
remains in France to watch over our frontiers and protect 
our hearths. I entrust them to the whole nation, which 

320 



Eugenie 



will, I know, surround them with all the love and devo- 
tion of which I daily receive so many proofs." 

If the Emperor had full confidence in the people, many 
of the latter had equally implicit faith in Eugenie, as was 
proved by a sutler's wife, who, on the eve of going to 
Italy with her regiment, left her six-year-old daughter 
with Eugenie's secretary, saying : " I beg Madame the 
Empress to take charge of my child. I have no fear, for 
I know that she will take good care of her until I come 
back." 

Eugenie accepted this responsibility, and provided 
carefully for the little maiden, as the mother had foreseen. 
She was, however, sorely troubled at the idea of parting 
from her husband ; but, in spite of the affecting farewells 
uttered during his last evening at the Tuileries, and the 
addresses on the morrow, she maintained all her dignity 
and composure, thus setting a good example to other 
wives, who felt it incumbent upon them to imitate her 
bravery. At half-past five, the Emperor drove with 
Eugenie to the railway station, receiving a grand ovation 
on the way thither, for the people cheered madly all 
along his route, calling out from time to time : " Rest 
easy, we will watch over your wife and son till you come 
home ! " 

These demonstrations greatly pleased the Emperor, 
who maintained his customary impassive mien only with 
the utmost difficulty, and he and Eugenie were busy every 
step of the way acknowledging these popular demon- 
strations of ardent loyalty. The Empress boarded the 
train with her husband, and accompanied him to Monte- 
reau, where, after dining with him, she quietly took leave 
and returned alone to Paris. 

The war which opened thus, was to prove brief and 
glorious, the French winning the five victories of Pales- 

VOL. I. — 21 221 



Empresses of France 

tro, Turbigo, Magenta, Melegnano, and Solferino, but 
only at the cost of great bloodshed. Throughout this 
campaign the Emperor directed the movements of his 
troops with great skill and bravery ; but it is said the 
sight of the Italian battlefields inspired him with such 
a horror for warfare, that he never again wished to engage 
in unnecessary conflicts. The news of these successive 
brilliant victories greatly delighted the nation, and the 
Parisians especially gave vent to almost delirious bursts 
of joy. 

Meantime, the Empress had earnestly undertaken her 
new duties as Regent, shirking no task however irksome, 
driving several times a week to the Tuileries to preside 
over the council meetings, and amazing the ministers by 
her zeal, her intelligence, and her aptitude in seizing and 
comprehending difficult questions. She also addressed 
the Senate and Legislative Assembly, both of which 
bodies expressed a lively wish to behold the Prince Im- 
perial before they adjourned. The Empress not only 
granted this request, but expressed her pleasure in doing 
so in the following speech : — 

" Gentlemen, I am deeply touched by the request you 
have expressed to see the Prince Imperial before return- 
ing to your homes. I rely upon your enlightened patri- 
otism to maintain the national faith in the courage of 
our own army, and, when the time comes, in the mod- 
eration of the Emperor. However difficult my task 
may be, I feel in my loyal French heart that I shall be 
able to carry it through. I am encouraged, gentlemen, 
by your faithful co-operation, and by the support of 
the people at large, who, during the absence of their 
ruler, are not likely to fail a woman and a child." 

The members of the Senate and Legislative Assembly 
were all charmed with the little Prince, who, although 

322 



Eugenie 



seldom produced, behaved very creditably, and they all 
v^^ent home to relate how bright and obedient he was, 
and how unspoiled, in spite of his exalted station and 
the fact that he was an only child. The Parisians were 
also soon to have a chance to behold him, for his mother 
suddenly decided to take him to Notre Dame with her 
to hear the grand Te Deum in honour of the battle of 
Solferino. 

Eugenie received the news of this victory one night 
after she had already retired. She was so pleased, how- 
ever, that she dressed again hastily, and went down into 
the garden, to tell the news in person to the officers and 
sentinels. They, too, were overjoyed, and when the 
tidings reached the capital, early the next morning, the 
enthusiasm of the Parisians knew no bounds. The 
three-year-old Prince Imperial was also greatly excited, 
when informed that he was to accompany his mother, 
and he listened very gravely, and promised to be very 
good, when his governess carefully explained how he 
must behave. Dressed in white pique, with a broad 
blue sash across his breast, the Prince left the Tuileries 
at eleven o'clock, on the 3rd of July, 1859, ^"^ drove 
in an open carriage with his mother. Princess Clothilde, 
and Princess Mathilde to the venerable old cathedral. 
They were escorted by the Imperial Guard in full uni- 
form, troops were stationed along their passage, while 
the crowds of people cheered with delight, and threw 
showers of flowers into the carriage. Eugenie bowed 
and smiled incessantly to acknowledge these favours, 
and her son threw countless kisses and thoroughly enjoyed 
all the bustle and noise. 

When they reached Notre Dame, they were for- 
mally received by the Archbishop, who ceremoniously 
led them into the church and up to the altar. The 

323 



Empresses of France 

little Prince moved slowly up the broad aisle, holding his 
beautiful mother's hand, and sat down beside her on the 
platform placed in the choir. There, all could see him, 
and the vast audience was equally pleased and touched 
by the childish gravity of his demeanour. Throughout 
the long service, — which must have seemed almost end- 
less to a child of his tender years, — he kept his big 
soulful eyes fixed upon Eugenie, and carefully imitated 
all she did, rising, kneeling, and crossing himself with 
infantile grace. A child in his position always appeals 
to every heart, and the people were delighted with the 
intelligence he so plainly manifested. Besides, " It was 
the first time that the son of the Emperor mingled 
officially with the nation," and the people felt doubly 
happy because " God granted him the boon of doing so 
under the auspices of victory." 

On the way home, the Empress and her son received 
a second ovation, which so pleased the Prince Imperial 
that he delighted the court by declaring as he re-entered 
the palace : " I want another Te Deum ! " 

It soon became apparent, however, that the pageant 
would not immediately be repeated, for Napoleon signed 
an armistice at Villa Franca, and, perceiving the war was 
virtually over, returned to France two weeks after his 
son's memorable visit to the cathedral. His wife and 
boy were waiting for him at the station, and the Prince 
was quite hurt when his father anxiously inquired whether 
he still knew his papa. Napoleon was glad to be home, 
for he was a family man, and very proud of the child's 
preference for him, — a preference which was partly due 
to extreme paternal indulgence. For whereas Eugenie 
was very firm and strict with her son, the Emperor 
always spoiled him, and would not allow any one to 
check or correct him in his presence. 

324 




o 
> 

< 

K 
H 



H 
X 



Eugenie 

Napoleon's return was soon followed by that of the 
troops, who marched in triumph through the capital, 
wearing their dusty and travel-stained uniforms, but 
proudly bearing aloft the eagles and flags still blackened 
by the smoke of battle. The Empress and Prince Im- 
perial were stationed on a balcony of the Place Vendome, 
the Emperor being on horseback in the street below 
them to review the troops of which he was so justly 
proud. On this occasion the Prince Imperial wore a full 
uniform, and delighted the soldiers by drawing his tiny 
sword and saluting them in true military style. He and 
his mother — who was gowned in white — again re- 
ceived a grand ovation, and were kept very busy 
answering the manifold cheers and salutes. 

Toward the end of the review, the Prince's equerry 
carried him down into the street, and placed him astride 
his father's horse. There, held by the Emperor, in a 
position to see and be seen by all, the little Prince finished 
the review, which pleased him quite as well as the great 
Te Deum. 

This memorable celebration closed with a banquet 
and a grand illumination, and as Napoleon Day came 
on the morrow, the festivities continued, and the people 
thus enjoyed two fine holidays in succession. 

The Imperial family next spent a few weeks at St. 
Sauveur in the Pyrenees, and at Biarritz by the sea, 
before going to Compiegne for the autumn hunting sea- 
son. While they were staying there, the treaty of 
Ziirich was signed, and all the French openly rejoiced 
over the conclusion of the Italian war. But, although 
hostilities had ceased, political discussions were still rife, 
for King Victor Emmanuel was anxious to become mas- 
ter of all Italy, and have Rome for his capital ; while the 
Pope was determined not to relinquish any of his tem- 

325 



Empresses of France 

poral power, and expected the French to go on support- 
ing him as before. 

Some of the French were in favour of ItaHan unity, 
others inclined to Papal temporal power, so this foreign 
question caused still more confusion in France, where 
political parties were already numerous. The Empress, 
who was a fervent Roman Catholic, naturally sided with 
the Pope, for whom she felt besides a particular affection, 
because he was the godfather of her son. 

Since acting as Regent, Eugenie had felt a lively in- 
terest in state affairs, so she willingly yielded to her hus- 
band's urging, and assisted at the cabinet meetings, and 
even at times gave her views upon the subject discussed. 
She was sufficiently intelligent and independent to have 
convictions of her own, and as she expressed them freely, 
even when they differed from her husband's, a new party 
soon rallied around her. Other political parties were 
also well represented at court, and Napoleon described 
the state of affairs pretty aptly when he once whimsi- 
cally exclaimed : " How can you expect my government 
to get on ? The Empress is a Legitimist ; De Morny is 
an Orleanist ; Prince Napoleon is a Republican ; and I 
am a Socialist. Persigny is the only Imperialist — and 
he is mad." 

The men he thus jestingly mentioned were, however, 
his chief advisers, men for whom he felt the greatest 
affection, and who were devoted to his interests. But, 
like him, they were in many respects unprincipled men, 
and unlike him several were very mercenary and in- 
clined to speculate. The Emperor, however, did not 
perceive these faults in his adherents, for he was bound to 
them by close ties of family or friendship. As we have 
seen. Prince Napoleon was his first cousin ; De Morny 
his half-brother, although the relationship was not ac- 

326 



Eugenie 



knowledged, Napoleon having discovered its existence 
only after Queen Hortense's death. Persigny had shared 
Napoleon's fortunes for years, sharing his arrest at the 
time of the unlucky attempt at Strasbourg. These men, 
with Walewski, the illegitimate son of Napoleon I., 
helped the Emperor maintain his authority, and rendered 
him invaluable services, and Persigny was first to caution 
him against letting the Empress interfere in state affairs, 
saying that such a procedure might in time have baleful 
consequences. 

In fact, Eugenie would have been far happier had the 
Emperor heeded this advice, for the cabinet meetings 
were very disquieting to her peace of mind. She had 
espoused the cause of the Pope so warmly, that she once 
vowed : " If the Pope leaves the Quirinal, I shall leave 
the Tuileries ! I would rather see the Emperor mur- 
dered than doomed for ever." In those passionate words 
lay the explanation of the Empress' conduct, for she 
really believed her husband would forfeit his soul's salva- 
tion if he did not support the Pope's cause. Those who 
did not concur in these views, naturally accused her of 
being very bigoted, among others Princess Clothilde, 
who, although very pious, too, was particularly anxious 
that her father should secure Rome for his capital. This 
difference of views helped estrange the two women, who, 
as we have seen, in spite of good intentions, were never 
real friends, although they apparently lived on the best 
of terms together. 

The year i860 was to prove very eventful, for France 
not only made a treaty of commerce with England, but 
proceeded — notwithstanding the Treaty of Ziirich — ■ 
to annex the province of Savoy and the territory of Nice. 
Walewski, seeing the provisions of the treaty he had 
made completely ignored, resigned his position, so it was 

327 



Empresses of France 

his successor, Thouvenel, who arranged the Treaty of 
Turin, whereby these two provinces were granted to 
France, provided the inhabitants signified their consent 
by plebiscite. Toward the end of January, the court 
went into mourning for Princess Stephanie, Dowager 
Duchess of Baden, a niece of Josephine, who had just 
died. Still, court mournings are very brief. So early 
in February their Majesties could attend the Pompeian 
feast given by Prince Napoleon, and a masked ball at 
the residence of the Duchess of Alva, Eugenie's sister, 
who had come to settle in Paris with her husband and 
children. 

Early in June, the Emperor and Empress hastened to 
Lyons, to greet the widow of Nicholas I., who was pass- 
ing through the city. The people were delighted to see 
Napoleon again, and especially eager to view the Empress, 
whom they had never beheld. A contemporary writes : 
" They were charmed. Her Majesty, who is thirty- 
four, looks twenty-five. She is really lovely, and her 
kindness is excessive. When the people crowded too 
closely around the carriage, she was always afraid that 
those who drew near to present petitions would be hurt." 
The Emperor, perceiving the popular enthusiasm, prom- 
ised to return to Lyons in August, when the people 
could fete him as much as they wished, but in the mean 
time returned with his wife to Fontai neb lean. 

There, as usual, Eugenie occupied the apartment 
known as the room of the Five Maries, for it had been 
inhabited by five queens of that name, including her 
favourite among the French sovereigns, the unhappy 
Marie Antoinette. Here, as at Compiegne, their Majes- 
ties entertained considerably, dining in state every even- 
ing in the famous Hall of Henry H. But the Emperor 
could not remain there long, having promised to go to 

328 



Eugenie 

Baden to meet sundry German Princes, whom his policy 
disquieted, and who feared lest he would next try to 
restore France's ancient boundaries, by claiming all the 
territory west of the Rhine. Napoleon succeeded in 
calming their worst apprehensions, and returned home 
only a few days before the death of his uncle, Jerome 
Bonaparte, the last surviving brother of the Great Em- 
peror. This Prince died while the Second Empire was 
still at its height, and was buried with great pomp in the 
Invalides, — the Bonaparte family tomb. 

A few weeks later, the Empress set out alone for 
Eaux Bonnes, where she was to spend twenty days, 
leaving her son at St. Cloud. He was now four years 
old, and when the pupils of the Versailles Lycee peti- 
tioned for a visit, he was sent thither in state, with his 
governess and equerry. Here, too, he acquitted himself 
very creditably, and as he begged the teachers to give 
the pupils a holiday, the latter cheered him with tremen- 
dous gusto when he drove away. 

The Emperor, desiring to exhibit him to the soldiers 
at Chalons too, sent orders that he should join him 
there. Like all small boys, the Prince Imperial de- 
lighted in soldiers, so he was very happy in this camp, 
where he was allowed to go in and out of the tents, speak 
to the soldiers at will, and ride beside his father whenever 
he reviewed the troops. This last performance charmed 
the men ; for Louis had already learned to manage his 
small steed with considerable skill, having ridden ever 
since his third year. Both his parents were excellent 
riders, and his mother was determined he should be quite 
as fearless as herself. She therefore often considered 
his attendants over-careful, and seeing him on his pony 
one day, pacing slowly along, gave the animal a sharp 
cut with her whip, which started him off at a brisk trot. 

329 



Empresses of France 

The riding-master, terrified lest an accident should befall 
his precious charge, so far lost control of his manners, it 
is said, as to swear vehemently, while he dashed off in 
pursuit ; but the faithful governess helplessly wrung her 
hands, exclaiming : " Oh, Madame, how could you ? 
you should remember you have only one ! " 

One of the principal amusements of the little Prince 
was to watch the soldiers make their soup, although he 
particularly disliked that part of his own dinner. Indeed, 
it was only because his attendants gravely assured him 
that he must eat soup if he would grow tall, that he ever 
consented to touch it. One day, when strolling about 
the camp, he positively convulsed his audience by plant- 
ing himself in front of a huge grenadier, and wonderingly 
exclaiming, after a prolonged contemplation of his un- 
usual size : " Goodness, what a lot of soup you must 
have eaten to grow so big ! " 

The Emperor and his son again reviewed the troops 
together on Napoleon Day, before proceeding to Paris, 
where they gladly met Eugenie, who had just returned 
from Eaux Bonnes. That evening, Paris was brilliantly 
illuminated, and grand fireworks were set off in different 
parts of the city for the amusement of an admiring crowd. 
These fireworks were also plainly visible from St. Cloud, 
where their Majesties spent the rest of the day, receiv- 
ing congratulations from all parts of the Empire, for the 
Emperor's official birthday was then the principal na- 
tional holiday. 

A few days after this celebration, the Imperial couple 
set out on the longest and most magnificent tour which 
they made during their seventeen years' joint reign. 
Leaving St. Cloud in the middle of August, i860, they 
first stopped at Dijon, where the Mayor addressed 
Eugenie as follows : " Madame, Burgundy is proud 

330 



Eugenie 

and happy to welcome your Majesty to its ancient 
capital. It knows — as well as all the rest of France 
— that, seated on the throne, you are a gracious Provi- 
dence for the poor and unhappy, and that, should need 
arise, you would be the brave sovereign of a great 
people ! " 

Their Majesties, after attending Mass, received all the 
town dignitaries, and then partook of a fine dinner be- 
fore setting out for the official ball. Eugenie drove 
thither in a brilliantly lighted coach, so all the people 
could see her in the splendour of full dress attire and 
crowned with her flashing diadem. She seemed so fair, 
that a prolonged shout of heartfelt admiration accom- 
panied her, and the people marvelled at her great beauty, 
at the charming way in which she acknowledged their 
homage, and at the magnificence of the " Hundred 
Guards " forming her escort. 

The next stop made by the Imperial party was at 
Chalons, where a deputation of young girls presented 
flowers to Eugenie, who next proceeded to Lyons. The 
people there were so enthusiastic that their Majesties had 
to appear on the balcony several times to acknowledge 
their greetings, although they spent several days in this 
city, inaugurating and examining a commercial and ar- 
tistic exposition, and attending balls and reviews. When 
they reached Chambery, in Savoy, Napoleon and Eugenie 
took part in the Te Deum for the elections, for the inhab- 
itants had almost unanimously declared in favour of an- 
nexation to France. The usual succession of receptions, 
dinners, balls, reviews, and illuminations followed, before 
their Majesties passed on to Aix-les-Bains and Annecy, 
where one of the magistrates thus greeted Eugenie : — 

" Madame, the city of Saint Francis de Sales rejoices 
and is proud of the honour of having you, even a brief 

33^ 



Empresses of France 

space of time, within its walls. It is aware that your 
Majesty's visit is that of an angel of goodness, kindness, 
and charity ! " 

Here the festivities were charmingly varied by a torch- 
light regatta, and Eugenie enjoyed a delightful excursion 
on the lake, which is noted for its picturesque scenery. 
The state dinner offered by the authorities was prolonged 
to so late an hour, that the Empress discovered she would 
not have time to change her dinner costume for a ball 
gown, before going to the imposing function to which she 
had been invited. As she did not wish to disappoint the 
people, who expect splendour on the part of a sovereign, 
she asked General Fleury whether it would not do if she 
added the crown jewels and a court mantle to her present 
attire. He answered that nothing could suit the public 
better, and the Empress, thus adorned, produced, as he 
had predicted, a wonderful sensation. 

On the first of September, after visiting Thonon, the 
Imperial party reached Salenches, where they had the 
satisfaction of beholding a magnificent storm, and heard 
the thunder crash and reverberate among the lofty moun- 
tains. Here, too, they greatly admired the sturdy moun- 
taineers, stationed in groups around the triumphal arch, 
before journeying on to Chamonix, where the Empress 
explored part of the famous Mer de Glace. 

Their Majesties now retraced their steps to Chambery, 
where a new ovation awaited them, and stopped at 
Grenoble, Valence, Orange, and Avignon, visiting the 
Roman ruins and ancient buildings, inspecting the hos- 
pitals and other charitable institutions, and attending the 
usual series of entertainments given for their benefit. In 
the last named town, the Emperor ordered the restora- 
tion of the old Papal palace, before setting out for Mar- 
seilles, by way of Tarascon and Aries, where only brief 

332 



Eugenie 

stops were made. The Marseillais entertained their 
Majesties with due magnificence, offering to give the 
Emperor a beautiful castle just outside of their city, if he 
would only come and sojourn among them from time 
to time. To Eugenie, they gave a costly bracelet, con- 
taining a fine miniature portrait of her son, knowing she 
would prize such a gift more than anything else. Their 
Majesties next proceeded by sea to Toulon, where the 
magistrate pompously greeted Eugenie as a "A modern 
Blanche of Castille, whose great and pious memory you 
recall on the grandest throne in the world," and con- 
cluded his speech with the cordial wish : " May you 
long enjoy, Madame, all the happiness which, as a 
monarch, a wife, and a mother, your heart can crave." 

Their Majesties left Toulon, still by sea, and landing 
at Villa Franca, drove to Nice, where, as usual, they at- 
tended Mass before beginning their round of festivities. 
Here, too, they were gladly welcomed, and the people 
spared no effort to testify their joy at forming at last 
part of France. 

This visit over, their Majesties sailed to Corsica, 
where they made a pious pilgrimage to Napoleon's 
birthplace, viewed all the family relics collected 
there, and visited the church where Madame Laetitia 
Bonaparte and her brother Cardinal Fesch were laid to 
rest. Ajaccio did its best to entertain thern sumptuously, 
before they left for Algiers on the Imperial yacht. It 
was while Eugenie was thus sailing across the Medi- 
terranean Sea, that her sister — who had been ailing for 
some time — suddenly died in Paris. But no tidings 
of this misfortune had reached her when she landed at 
Algiers, and went straight to the cathedral as usual. 
On the morrow the Empress laid the cornerstone for 
the new boulevard which was to bear her name, before 



Empresses of France 

witnessing a picturesque exhibition of Arab skill in 
horsemanship, hunting, and fighting. The performers 
not only gave a sham battle, but pursued ostriches and 
gazelles, and hunted with hawks. Finally they drew 
up in a line of battle, rushed madly up the height on 
which the Empress stood, and dropped suddenly on one 
knee before her. The spectators declare that it was an 
affecting sight to perceive the whole line of Arab sol- 
diers gasp in admiration, when, on looking up, they be- 
held the beautiful Empress so near at hand. She was 
greatly charmed by the warriors, and it is said that she 
took such a fancy to a waiter of ebon hue who served 
her during this visit, that she attached him permanently 
to her service. This man, who boasted of royal descent, 
was as haughty as he was picturesque, utterly refusing to 
wait upon any one except his beautiful mistress. He 
always stood directly behind her chair at table, where his 
dark skin and gaudy costume contrasted in a striking 
manner with Eugenie's fair complexion and exquisite 
form. 

Eugenie was very happy during this Algerian visit, 
for her husband carefully concealed the sad news which 
he had just received concerning the Duchess of Alva, 
and she felt no misgivings. Knowing that the people 
would be grievously disappointed if they did not both 
attend the ball. Napoleon kept his own counsel until it 
was over, and even then merely informed Eugenie that 
her sister was very ill, and that they would return home at 
once. The Empress, pale with apprehension, hastened 
the preparations for departure, and on her way down to 
the yacht repeatedly cried : " Oh ! if we can only get 
there in time." All who heard her knew it was already 
too late, but none dared reveal that fact, and the yacht 
steamed off at full speed in spite of the rough weather 

334 



Eugenie 

which made all on board very uncomfortable. The 
Empress alone showed no signs of fear or of seasick- 
ness, for she was thinking only of the sister who had 
been in the same time her friend and confidant, and 
whom she loved with all the intensity of her nature. 

The storm proved so violent, and the magnificent new 
yacht so unsafe, that the captain dared not cross the 
Golfe du Lion in the teeth of the storm, and, therefore, 
landed his august passengers at the small port of Vendres. 
Of course, no provisions had been made there for their 
reception, and they discovered on landing that the near- 
est railway station was several miles away. While his 
suite were scouring the town to procure some means of 
transportation thither, the Emperor, who had been suffer- 
ing greatly from seasickness, gently broke the news to 
his wife that her darling sister was no more. Poor 
Eugenie was fairly bowed down with grief, but, never- 
theless, determined to hurry on in hopes of viewing her 
sister's remains once more, and of taking leave of that 
beloved form before it was laid in the grave. 

The Imperial party, therefore, crowded into the 
grocers' and butchers' carts, — the only vehicles avail- 
able, — and drove through the pouring rain to the rail- 
way station, from whence they journeyed straight through 
to Paris. On the way they received sundry telegrams, 
and Eugenie thus learned that her haste was fruitless, 
her sister's funeral having already taken place. 

When she drove into the great gate at St. Cloud, she 
saw her boy, who had come thither in his impatience to 
welcome his parents home ; but even the sight of this 
beloved son could not dispel the cloud of grief which 
enveloped Eugenie. This blow, coming as it did, at the 
end of such rejoicings and splendour as accompanied 
the Imperial journey, made so painful an impression 

335 



Empresses of France 

upon the Empress, that it changed her greatly. Many 
people commented upon the fact that the loss of her 
sister seemed to have deprived her of the zest and enjoy- 
ment of youth, for Eugenie, who, until then in private, 
had seemed like a light-hearted girl, was now suddenly 
transformed into a mature and disenchanted woman. 
She sank into a state of morbid depression, and wrote to 
a friend : " If you only knew all I have suffered lately, 
the gnawing anxiety during my journey home from Al- 
geria ! And then to find, on reaching home, only an 
empty house ! Not to have had the consolation of 
even embracing that lifeless body ; all that is a brief 
epitome of the price we pay for an exalted position here 
on earth. One often attains it only by trampling over 
one's own heart ! I have been indulging in sad retro- 
spection, and I wonder whether earthly gifts are worth 
the efforts we make to retain our hold upon them ? " 

The Duchess of Alva had been Eugenie's chief friend 
and sole confidant, and, being of a calm, gentle tempera- 
ment, had proved a soothing companion and a safe 
adviser. She knew all Eugenie's matrimonial troubles, 
and had sustained her by her sympathy in times of 
trouble. And now that this sister was gone, Eugenie 
missed her sorely, for not only did the Emperor wring 
her heart by again proving faithless, but, contrary to her 
wishes, he allowed Victor Emmanuel to war against the 
Pope unchecked, and refused to interfere in behalf of 
the King of Naples, who was then on the eve of being 
ousted from his realm. 

This accumulation of sorrows proved more than poor 
Eugenie could endure, and court gossip relates that, not 
being able to bring the Emperor back to a fitting sense 
of decency and duty, she suddenly left home after the 
brief hunting season at Compiegne, and journeyed ofF 

33^ 



Eugenie 



incognita to England and Scotland, although it was then 
late in autumn and a cheerless season in which to travel. 
The Empress left with very few attendants, and the 
official newspapers immediately announced that she was 
travelling solely for her health. But friends soon inter- 
fered, and a correspondence ensued between the Imperial 
couple, which, rumour further relates, resulted in a com- 
plete reconciliation. 

On her way home the Empress privately visited 
Queen Victoria, and embarking at Folkestone, upon a ves- 
sel of the French navy which had been sent thither to 
get her, returned in state to France. The Emperor met 
her at Amiens, and personally escorted her home, where 
her return was celebrated by a joyful family dinner, the 
little Prince being admitted to his parents' table. 

This attractive child was a great comfort to Eugenie, 
who often had him with her, and watched over every 
detail of his life and occupation until he was ten years 
of age. She also superintended his studies, chose all 
his clothes, had him brought to her the first thing every 
morning, and spent hours developing his active mind. 
Sometimes they both went down the private staircase to 
the Emperor's study, where the boy played while the 
father worked, or helped him turn on his lathe, manu- 
facture furniture, or pursue some of the many mechanical 
occupations which the Emperor loved, and practised 
whenever he needed relaxation from his arduous desk 
work. After lunching together, the Imperial family gen- 
erally separated to fulfil important duties, but the Em- 
press always saw her son before he set out for his daily 
drive, and, after the Orsini attempt, never let him depart 
without crossing his brow as a preservative against evil. 

The little Prince's carriage, open or closed according 
to the weather, was always surrounded by a mounted 

VOL. I. -22 337 



Empresses of France 

escort, and his favourite drive was in the direction of the 
Bois de Boulogne, where one of his father's friends had 
a country seat, in whose grounds he was allowed to play 
at will. His playmates were Louis Conneau, the son 
of his father's physician and devoted friend, — a boy of 
his own age, — and his three cousins, the children of 
the Duchess of Alva, whom the Empress cared for like 
a tender mother, after that sister's death. 

The Prince Imperial and Louis Conneau were almost 
inseparable, although, Hke most children, they frequently 
disagreed, and occasionally quarrelled quite vehemently. 
But the Prince Imperial was so kind-hearted that he was 
always ready to forgive and forget. Once, having in- 
vited his young friend to dinner, he bespoke their favourite 
dessert — raspberry cream. A quarrel having preceded 
this meal, Louis Conneau went off in high dudgeon. 
When the dessert was put on the table, the Prince Im- 
perial burst into tears, and, sobbing convulsively, told 
the servant to carry it all to Conneau, saying he could 
not enjoy it alone. 

After his eighth birthday, the Prince Imperial always 
dined with his parents, he and his mother sitting on 
either side of the Emperor, and, during the early part of 
the evening, he and his young companions were wont to 
play noisy games, chasing each other around the lofty 
rooms, or crowding around the Emperor, who never 
checked their boisterous spirits and often played loto or 
dominoes with them. 

The Prince, his friends, and his father were equally 
fond of innocent practical jokes, so the young people 
were delighted when, on the first of April, the Emperor 
once had turbot served for every course of the dinner, 
thus giving them " Poisson d'Avril " ( Poisson d'Avril, 
or April fish, is the French for " April Fool " ) galore. 

338 



Eugenie 



One evening, the usual guests at the Imperial table 
trembled and turned pale, because an owl appeared at 
one of the Tuileries windows. The Emperor, hearing 
some of them whisper about an evil omen, tried to cheer 
them up by declaring they were highly honoured thus 
to receive a visit from the " bird of wisdom ;" but, in 
spite of his eiForts, he could not dispel their alarms. 
The next night they were still more terrified, for on 
looking apprehensively toward the same window, they 
beheld a whole family of owls stationed on the window- 
sill ! This time, the Emperor, too, looked grave and 
made no remarks ; but when the guests rose from table, 
they discovered that he had fooled them all by having a 
number of stuffed owls carefully ranged there in order 
of size. 

Eugenie's firmness and strictness with her own son 
and with her sister's children was often considered ex- 
treme, but she had to react against the Emperor's indul- 
gence. He always winked at the childrens' disobedience, 
encouraged them in their mischief, tried to beg them off 
from lessons or punishments, wanted to grant their every 
request, or gratify their every whim, and the severest 
reprimand he could ever be induced to give his son was 
a very gentle : " Come, Louis, don't be silly." 

But Eugenie was wiser, and wishing to make her son' 
a man of whom she might justly be proud, she sensibly 
began to train him early, and directed that he should be 
brought up as simply as possible. She also checked all 
attempts at flattery and adulation, and when one of the 
courtiers once attempted to bend the knee and kiss the 
Prince's hand, vehemently insisted upon his being treated 
just like any other small boy, and answered all objec- 
tions by exclaiming sensibly : " Nonsense, he is only a 
child ! " 

339 



Empresses of France 

Even as a little fellow, the Prince Imperial took a 
lively interest in soldiers, and was therefore very happy 
when allowed to don a uniform.. But his attendants 
impressed upon him the fact that the wearing of such 
a costume entailed good behaviour on his part, and 
brought him most quickly to order, when inclined to be 
naughty, by informing him gravely that he was disgrac- 
ing his uniform. 

At ten years of age, the Prince was handed over to 
the care of his preceptor. General Frossard, who placed 
him under strict discipline, and insisted upon a prompt, 
regular, and conscientious discharge of all his duties. 
Although he had very little trouble with the Prince 
himself, his task was far more diflftcult with the 
Emperor, who sent for his son at all hours to exhibit 
him to a caller, or to relieve what he deemed the tedium 
of a distasteful task. As soon as the preceptor perceived 
this stratagem, he declared that these interruptions must 
cease, and thereafter, when the Emperor sent for his 
son, — aside from the hours when he was at leisure to 
respond to such summons, — General Frossard calmly 
sent back word " that his Majesty was respectfully 
informed the Prince's studies could not be interrupted 
until the stated hour." Sometimes, when the child was 
with his father, and was reluctant to obey his tutor's 
summons, the indulgent parent hid his cap to prolong 
the visit. The General, however, soon became aware 
of this subterfuge also, and put an end to it by carrying 
an extra cap in his pocket, which he immediately pro- 
duced when the excuse was offered that the Prince could 
not leave until his cap was found. 

It was in the year i860 that Prince Metternich first 
came to France as Austrian ambassador, bringing with 
him his young wife. A remarkably witty and attractive 

340 



Eugenie 



woman, although not really pretty, Countess Metternich 
— who was an excellent mother and wife — was never- 
theless somewhat of a Bohemian in her tastes. Per- 
fectly virtuous herself, she nevertheless enjoyed shocking 
people, and dancing as it were on the edge of a 
precipice. 

When she first beheld the Empress Eugenie, she was 
captivated by the purity of feature and vivacity of ex- 
pression which so enhanced her beauty, and rather 
vexed some of the court ladies by fervently crying : 
" Would that I could be her Princesse de Lamballes ! " 

These jealous dames showed their displeasure by 
retorting stiffly : " More than one Frenchwoman would 
aspire to such an honour." Still, although so open an 
admirer of the Empress' beauty, Princess Metternich, 
who belonged to a very ancient and noble Austrian 
family, never forgot that Eugenie had risen from a com- 
paratively modest station to her present eminence, and was 
not always careful how she expressed this conviction. 
For instance, weary of the tedium of an evening spent 
in the palace, where she was visiting, she once directed 
her friends in a whisper to escape as soon as they could 
and join her in her apartment. Then, pretending a 
sudden illness, she excused herself from further attend- 
ance and withdrew. 

The fun had just begun in her rooms, and she and her 
friends were dancing there merrily, when the doors were 
suddenly flung wide open and the Empress appeared. 
Anxious about Madame de Metternich, Eugenie had 
followed her, as soon as possible, to see that she had 
every care. She was therefore surprised and indignant 
at the trickery used, and being very frank, then, and 
there expressed her displeasure in no measured terms. 
But Madame de Metternich, who would brook no 

341 



Empresses of France 

criticism, immediately interrupted, exclaiming hotly : 
" Madame, you forget that / came into the world a great 
lady, and I will not allow any reprimand to be addressed 
to me ! " 

This altercation caused a brief coldness in their rela- 
tions, and for a time Princess Metternich did not appear 
at court ; but after a while, the cloud blew over, and she 
resumed her position there, becoming once more leader 
in all the court revels. But she was so autocratic that 
whenever she got up tableaux or entertainments all those 
whose services she enlisted had to do exactly as she 
wished. One fair lady, having determined, on one 
occasion, to wear a costume of her own devising, instead 
of the one planned by Madame de Metternich, a lively 
quarrel ensued. The Empress, hoping to smooth out 
matters, drew Madame de Metternich apart, and urged 
her to yield, pleading gently in excuse for the court 
lady's obstinacy the fact that her mother was mad. But 
the Princess, beside herself with anger at the opposition 
she encountered, would listen to no argument, and flatly 
declared : " Well, my father is mad, and I will not 
yield any more than she." 

This sally greatly amused the court, for the Princess' 
father, if not actually mad, was very eccentric, doing all 
sorts of unheard-of deeds to exhibit the perfection of his 
horsemanship, of which he was inordinately proud. 

Madame de Metternich also often encouraged the 
Empress to make innovations in the styles, and once 
urged her to appear at the races at Fontainebleau in a 
short skirt. A few of the older ladies, who disapproved 
of this novelty, took occasion to remonstrate privately 
with the Princess, asking her whether she would advise 
a similar costume to her own sovereign. Madame de 
Metternich carelessly answered : " Oh ! that is very 

342 



Eugenie 

different. Of course I would not try to persuade the 
Empress Elizabeth to go out in short skirts. But our 
Empress is a royal Princess, whereas yours is only 
Mademoiselle de Montijo ! " 

The Emperor, far more keen-sighted in this matter 
than his wife, frequently cautioned Eugenie to be careful, 
saying he fancied that Madame de Metternich was 
somewhat of a traitor, and repeated all she heard for the 
benefit of the Austrian court, while she often tried 
to get hold of state secrets. But Eugenie never sus- 
pected double dealing, and went on trusting everybody 
until convinced that her confidence had really been mis- 
placed. In such cases she was too ruthless, and no 
motives of policy could make her pretend to like and re- 
spect people whom she had learned to despise. This 
undiplomatic frankness often troubled the Emperor, who, 
when any one complained to him concerning what they 
termed her capricious moods, tried to smooth over the 
difficulty by saying suavely : *' You know the Empress 
is very impulsive ; but in reality, I am sure she is very 
fond of you." 

Princess Metternich was so clever and quick at 
repartee, that she was a great addition to Parisian society, 
and her sallies were quoted everywhere. She has be- 
sides the honour of having introduced Wagner to the 
Parisians, for shortly after her arrival in the capital she 
begged the Emperor to order " Tannhauser." He did so, 
merely to be agreeable to her ; but although all the court 
were present for the first performance of this now 
famous opera, it then fell very flat, and some of the parts 
were actually hissed, for the Parisians preferred at that 
time catchy music like Offenbach's. 

Owing to her mourning and consequent depression, 
the Empress, as we have seen, took very little interest in 

343 



Empresses of France 

social entertainments during the winter of 1 860-61. In 
fact she never appeared in public save when her presence 
was necessary, and could not restrain her tears when the 
officials presented their congratulations on New Year's 
Day. But although she refrained whenever she could 
from appearing at the balls or at the theatre, she craved 
as much exercise as possible, and was therefore greatly 
interested when the ponds in the parks froze over, and 
some of the Russian ladies in the capital began to skate. 
The Emperor, who had spent much of his life out of 
France — where such an amusement is rare — delighted 
in skating also, and all Parisians enthusiastically adopted 
the new sport. A skate merchant, who had had six 
thousand pairs of skates on hand for more than ten 
years, therefore not only disposed of his whole stock in 
an incredibly short space of time, but had to order twice 
as many from Holland to supply immediate demands. 

Eugenie, who was a magnificent horsewoman, and 
who delighted in all kinds of brisk exercise, now deter- 
mined to learn to skate too, and in a couple of days 
mastered the art so thoroughly that she ventured to 
appear in public. It is said, that as a fall would have 
seemed unseemly on the part of an Empress, and as 
none of the skaters, save the Emperor, were of suffi- 
ciently high rank or closely enough related to her to 
venture to hold her up, her ingenious teacher invented 
a padded and beribboned stick for her use. The Em- 
press grasped this in the middle, and held it firmly in 
front of her, while two expert skaters, seizing either end, 
guided her hither and thither with the utmost speed and 
safety. 

Skating parties now became all the rage, and the 
ladies vied with one another in devising the most pic- 
turesque skating costumes. But popular enthusiasm 

344 



Eugenie 



reached its height when the Emperor ordered a night 
carnival on the ice, in which he and the Empress took 
part. 

That winter was also made memorable for the Prince 
Imperial by a children's party, given by Princess Mathilde 
in his honour. He came thither in all the glory of a 
marquis' dress of the time of Louis XV. But he was 
particularly pleased because the music was furnished by 
an orchestra of child-musicians, and very anxious to 
take a little flute-player's place so that the latter might 
dance too. Still, there was one drawback to his enjoy- 
ment, his high-heeled red shoes were very uncomfortable. 
He therefore slipped out of them during supper, and 
kicked them far under the table. When called to task 
for such unseemly behaviour at a party, and directed to 
put them on again, he vehemently protested he would 
not, saying : " Mamma has given me leave to do any- 
thing I please." Still his manners were as a rule ex- 
cellent, and small as he then was, he thanked Princess 
Mathilde most heartily for all the pleasure she had 
given him. 

Children's parties were only a small part of the winter 
diversions, for almost everybody entertained lavishly, and 
the regulation number of grand balls was given in the 
Tuileries, with all the accustomed pomp. The Empress 
graced these festivities in her wonted charming way, 
winning great encomiums for the tasteful elegance 
of her attire, for the dignity with which she received, 
and especially for her beauty, which still seemed as 
radiant as ever. 

In April, the grand mausoleum planned by Visconti 
in the Invalides, was finally completed, and Eugenie 
went thither with her husband to see the body of 
Napoleon laid in its porphyry tomb. The little Prince 

345 



Empresses of France 

was also present at this ceremony, descending with his 
parents into the crypt, to sprinkle holy water upon the 
coffin of the illustrious founder of his dynasty before it 
was enclosed in its red sarcophagus. Still, it is said 
that this final ceremony did not prove nearly as imposing 
as the interment under Louis Philippe, twenty years 
before, when Napoleon's ashes were brought back to 
France, to rest " on the banks of the Seine which he 
had loved so well." 

In June, at Fontainebleau, Napoleon settled the long 
pending Italian Question, by formally recognising Victor 
Emmanuel, King of Italy. When he announced this 
decision in his cabinet, Eugenie, who was present, burst 
into tears and fled, for she could not endure the thought 
that her husband was despoiling the Holy Father. The 
Emperor, feeling he must pursue this policy, despite her 
opposition, remained speechless for a few moments after 
this outburst, and continued the business on hand only 
after he had despatched one of his friends to see after 
the Empress. 

But whereas this was a painful memory for Eugenie 
to connect with the picturesque castle of Fontainebleau, 
she was soon to take part in a curious and amusing 
pageant, for the Emperor had decided that he would 
receive there the ambassadors sent by the Kings of 
Siam. The panelled Hall of Henry II. was, therefore, 
duly prepared for the reception of these foreign guests, 
a dais and throne being erected for their Majesties in 
front of the historic mantelpiece. The court was 
ordered to appear in gala attire, but cautioned to main- 
tain strict decorum, although Oriental etiquette required 
the ambassadors to approach the Emperor by crawling 
on their elbows and knees to the foot of the throne. The 
Prince Imperial, who begged to be present, was duly 

346 



Eugenie 



schooled too, and the Duke of Bassano stationed di- 
rectly behind him to check any sign of merriment, should 
he forget the instructions he had received. 

The hour having struck, the Emperor and Empress 
took their places under the dais, the Prince Imperial 
standing beside his father, while the court ladies and 
gentlemen grouped themselves on either side of the 
throne. Then the Master of Ceremonies announced 
the Siamese ambassadors, who, clad in tunics and trou- 
sers of gold brocade, and followed by their attendants, 
came in solemnly on all fours ! The principal ambas- 
sador experienced great difficulty in covering the ground 
in this ridiculous attitude, for he wore a pyramidal, 
stifF-brimmed hat, and carried besides two golden bowls, 
wherein rested his master's letters enclosed in jewelled 
caskets. The "greenish chocolate " complexion of these 
foreign visitors, their bright eyes, queer costumes, and 
characteristic entrance greatly interested all the specta- 
tors, some of whom, however, hardly dared glance at 
them for fear they should laugh. 

At the foot of the first step, the ambassador paused, 
poised himself on one elbow, and made a speech which 
was interpreted by a French missionary. Then, resum- 
ing his painful journey, he crept on to the throne to 
present his letters. Napoleon leaned eagerly forward 
to receive them, and end a scene which was distressing 
to a man of his kindly nature. Only then would the 
ambassadors consent to resume the perpendicular, and 
when the Empress kissed the ten-year-old son of one of 
the emissaries, the delighted father rapturously cried : 
" Now, my son, thy days will be happy." 

These ambassadors brought the Emperor and Empress 
strange gifts, which were exhibited on tables, placed in 
the deep window recesses on either side of the Hall, and 

347 



Empresses of France 

at the foot of the throne. They included a filigree 
crown, a throne, a palanquin, parasols of rich and 
quaint designs and fabrics, jewelled harness, golden cups, 
cloisonne enamels, priceless native weapons, stufFs, and 
other curiosities too numerous to mention. This famous 
reception of the First Siamese Embassy has been painted 
by Gerome, who placed in his picture authentic portraits 
of the principal persons present, including his own. 

A few days later, the Emperor departed for Vichy, 
and after his cure there ended, returned to St. Cloud, 
whither his family had preceded him to welcome the King 
of Sweden, a grandson of Napoleon's famous General 
Bernadotte. Entertainments suited to the season were 
given in honour of this royal guest, and visits paid 
to the Tuileries, to Versailles, and to the camp of 
Chalons, where a series of brilliant manoeuvres were 
executed, and where the performance concluded with 
a grand review. 

Two days after the departure of this monarch. Napo- 
leon inaugurated the Boulevard Malesherbe, which had 
been cut by his order. Then, as the Empress was 
going to Eaux Bonnes for a cure, he took his son with 
him to Chalons to spend " Napoleon Day " with the 
army. This sojourn over, father and son joined Eugenie 
at Biarritz, and enjoyed a few quiet weeks by the sea with 
Countess de Montijo, who had journeyed thither from 
Spain to meet them. The little Prince so enjoyed play- 
ing on the beach with other children that it is said he 
felt very reluctant to leave Biarritz for St. Cloud and 
Compiegne, where Eugenie was pleased to see him take 
part in a little play. The Empress entertained and 
hunted here as usual, and conducted several picnic 
parties to Pierrefonds, — a picturesque old feudal castle, 
completely restored by VioUet-le-Duc. One of her 

348 



'f 



CO 






.11 


— K ^ m^rmmM 






m- ^^-" '"'■■■^F 




y 







Eugenie 

august visitors was the King of Holland, and the most 
important decision Napoleon took here was to aid Max- 
imilian obtain possession of the Mexican throne. It 
was for that reason that French troops were sent across 
the ocean ; but the Emperor little suspected that he would 
yet have to desert his ally, who was to meet with a very 
sad end a few years later. • This sojourn at Compiegne 
was greatly saddened by the sudden tidings of the death 
of the Portuguese King, and the consequent departure 
of the Princes, who were among Eugenie's guests. 
Still the court mourning this death entailed was soon 
over, and gaieties were resumed when their Majesties 
returned to the Tuileries, to begin 1863 with the usual 
official reception and congratulations. We are told that 
Eugenie began this year by thinking of the poor, for 
whose benefit she insured her life for a large sum of 
money. Part of this sum was appointed as a perma- 
nent endowment for the institution she had founded for 
workingmen's daughters, which prospered as long as she 
was on the throne. 

The most delightful experience this year reserved for 
Eugenie, was a visit to Spain, which, while it displeased 
the French, afforded her infinite satisfaction. She was 
not only glad to revisit her native land, but proud to be 
an honoured and admired guest at the Spanish court, 
where she had formerly appeared merely as a subject. 
She also enjoyed the sensation produced by her beauty, 
her jewels, her dress, her wit and animation, and was 
delighted to speak her native language once more. The 
American ambassador, attending a court dinner where she 
was present, writes : " Perhaps, for an Empress, she was 
too much of a coquette, but as an Andalusian, — which 
she is, — and looked upon simply as a woman, she was 
the most perfect creature I have ever seen anywhere." 

349 



Empresses of France 

Her coquetry, and especially her anxiety to please in 
Madrid, seemed particularly offensive to the French, 
who considered it beneath the dignity of the sovereign 
of so mighty an Empire as their own, and they now 
began to mutter : " She was determined to become an 
Empress. Well, now let her act like one." But 
Eugenie, quite oblivious of the displeasure she inno- 
cently occasioned, enjoyed her visit thoroughly before 
proceeding leisurely northward once more, to join her 
husband and son at Biarritz. 

This proved, as usual, the Imperial holiday, for 
" Villa Eugenia " was not large enough to permit en- 
tertaining to any extent, and their Majesties were only 
too glad to be rid for a brief space of time of the irk- 
some pomp and etiquette which surrounded them all the 
rest of the year. It was at Biarritz, taking sea-baths, 
that Eugenie always regained sufficient strength to fulfil 
her trying court duties. These proved a severe tax 
upon her impaired health, and often, when some grand 
function was over, and she had returned to her private 
apartments, she sank wearily into a chair, tore off her 
ornaments with feverish haste, and tossed them all, one 
after another, into the outstretched gown of her atten- 
dant. The latter had to see that the crown jewels were 
duly restored to the official keeper, and Eugenie's private 
gems put carefully away, for she owned a large and valu- 
able collection of precious stones of her own. Their 
custody was entrusted to a faithful old Spanish atten- 
dant whom the Empress affectionately called " Pepa," 
while she was known in the rest of the palace as 
Madame Pollet. She also had charge of all the Em- 
press' wearing apparel, which was stored in huge ward- 
robes, or presses, in rooms directly above Eugenie's 
dressing-room. Speaking tubes and an ingenious lift 

350 



Eugenie 



permitted the Empress' orders to be transmitted direct 
to this department, and her garments were lowered 
through the ceiling, to avoid crushing and soiling them 
in the long and narrow stairs and corridors. 

A number of carefully made dummies were used by 
her Majesty's tirewomen to try on her dresses and 
wraps, thus saving her much fatigue. Gowns were 
always submitted to Eugenie's approval on those lay 
figures, so she could stand off and judge of the effect 
some costume would produce, and have it altered under 
her direction, without undergoing the boredom of stand- 
ing for any length of time. Although fond of dress for 
public occasions, the Empress was always very simply 
attired at home, appearing even early in the morning in 
a plain black cloth or silk. Over this tight-fitting gown, 
she threw a handsome wrap before driving out for her 
almost daily inspection of some charitable institution. 
Very often, when bent upon such an errand, Eugenie 
went out incognita, but as her striking appearance and 
Titian hair was sure to betray her sooner or later, she 
often went closely veiled. Once or twice, it is said, she 
even donned a black wig, so as to be able to stroll along 
the street unobserved, and look into the shop-windows 
with as much freedom as the humblest of her subjects. 

While making a charity visit, Eugenie once interfered 
in a quarrel between two boys. She had seen the elder 
snatch a cake from a child of inferior age and size ; so, 
hating injustice, she promptly confiscated the cake and 
gave it back to its rightful owner. The bully, however, 
set up such a roar, that a number of viragoes suddenly 
appeared, and setting their arms akimbo, poured out a 
fearful volley of abuse upon the fine ladies who meddled 
with the affairs of the poor. Had it not been for one 
of the ubiquitous detectives, who hurried Eugenie into 

351 



Empresses of France 

a carriage and out of harm's way, these irate women 
might then and there have resorted to violent means of 
expressing their displeasure with any interference in their 
concerns. 

The Empress, as we have seen, was naturally leader 
of French fashions, and it was in her time that Monsieur 
Worth and Madame Virot laid the foundations of their 
now world-wide and enviable reputations. But Eugenie 
often designed her costumes herself, and criticised and 
frequently altered those supplied by her dressmakers. 
She is, besides, the inventor of many practical fashions, 
such as invisible hair nets, coloured petticoats, and last 
but not least, the invaluable " en tout cas " or summer 
umbrella, which has only increased in popularity in the 
course of time. Eugenie's state gowns cost enormous 
sums, some being valued at 100,000 francs, without 
counting her ornaments ; while even simple wraps often 
cost 50,000 francs, and Madame Virot asked 1000 francs 
for a bonnet. Four times a year the Empress reviewed 
her wardrobe, bestowing all the clothes she did not care 
to keep upon her ladies, who, it is said, sold these cast-ofF 
garments to South American merchants. All Eugenie's 
white shoes and slippers, however, were sent to the 
charitable institutions in which she was interested, to 
serve for the communion toilet of the little girls, for 
Eugenie's feet were so very small that her slippers fitted 
these children exactly. 

Eugenie was so indifferent to her attire at home that 
she sometimes almost shocked her court ladies, one of 
whom reports that she saw her in a common woollen 
cardigan jacket in her rooms, such as the market women 
wore ; but Eugenie donned this for comfort, for her 
rooms, like the rest of the palace, were almost uninhab- 
itable in severe winter weather. 

352 



Eugenie 



The Empress was always busy and never indolent, 
hence she owned no lounging robes at all ; and when the 
Prince Imperial took the measles, and she wished to sit 
up with him at night, one of her women had to go out 
and purchase a ready-made flannel wrapper for her use. 
This illness of the Prince Imperial proved a source of 
much anxiety to Eugenie for several years, for the physi- 
cian, wishing to contradict the wild rumours afloat 
concerning him, allowed him to drive out too soon. A 
heavy cold taken during this drive produced a relapse, 
which left the Prince very delicate from about eight to 
fourteen. He caught this disease at a children's party 
in the Tuileries, from one of his partners who came to 
the dance although she had been rather ailing for several 
days, and her mother had noticed a rash on her neck 
while dressing her. But the child was so anxious to 
attend the party, that she successfully disguised her illness 
and danced all the evening. On reaching home, how- 
ever, she was taken violently ill, and died on the mor- 
row, her ball-dress and flowers serving to deck her for 
the tomb ; but she communicated measles to many of 
the children present, some of whom were dangerously ill, 
and suffered for a long time from the consequences of 
her imprudence. 

The Prince Imperial inherited his mother's taste for 
art, and early showed a remarkable taste and aptitude for 
drawing and modelling in wax or clay. He delighted in 
this latter pastime, and, it is said, often produced por- 
traits of his father and attendants which resembled the 
models so ludicrously that Merimee pronounced them 
" atrociously like ! " Possessed of a keen sense of hu- 
mour, the Prince often got into mischief. One day he 
received a box of christening candies in assorted colours. 
As he was never allowed sweets, he did not eat them, 

VOL. I. -23 353 



Empresses of France 

but, thinking them very pretty, ran off to exhibit them 
to his mother. On his way to her rooms, he had to pass 
one of the magnificent " Cent Gardes " standing like a 
statue before his door. An impish idea suddenly pop- 
ping through his head, he promptly emptied the whole 
contents of his box into the boot of this man, who, true 
to his training, gave no sign of perturbation. This per- 
fectly natural boyish prank is erroneously ascribed by 
some writers to the Empress herself, whom they also 
accuse of being the heroine in the following tale. 
Colonel Verly, commander of the Palace Guards, was 
justly proud of his men's perfect discipline, and fre- 
quently boasted that nothing could, even for a second, 
disturb their statue-like immobility when on duty. The 
Empress hearing this, laughingly made a wager with 
Colonel Verly that she would cause the man then on 
guard in the neighbouring gallery to lapse from his rigid 
attitude. Colonel Verly accepted the challenge, and 
escorted Eugenie into the gallery, where she tried every 
device her bright wits could suggest to disturb the man's 
statuesque repose. All her wiles having failed, it is said 
she suddenly marched straight up to him and smartly 
boxed his ears. But even then, the soldier remained 
motionless, and Eugenie had to confess she had lost her 
wager. When Colonel Verly, by her orders, offered this 
guard a handsome gift to atone for the indignity which he 
had received, he is reported to have refused it, saying : 
" It is sufficient reward for me to have had the hand of 
my sovereign lady upon my cheek ! " 

Eugenie was very impetuous and high-spirited in her 
youth, but although such tales as these — and others 
even less credible — are told about her, her conduct 
was evidently far from being such as her detractors de- 
scribe, for they have never been able to produce a shadow 

354 



Eugenie 



of real proof to justify any of their allegations, and every 
one now knows that such stories owed their origin 
to malice only. 

The year 1865 proved quite a varied one in the Im- 
perial lives, which otherwise were very monotonous. 
During this year the Emperor lost his half-brother De 
Morny, and made his second visit to Algeria. But this 
time Eugenie refused to accompany him, and during his 
absence devoted her time to a round of charitable visits. 
In visiting La Roquette, — a penitentiary, — she was 
shocked to find child-prisoners doomed either to solitary 
imprisonment, or to idleness in the company of debasing 
associates, and immediately determined to effect a reform. 
Her aim was to place these poor children in the country, 
where their physical condition could be improved, and 
their minds and bodies trained so they should ultimately 
become self-respecting and self-supporting members of 
the community. Her suggestions were, however, met 
only by excuses and evasions on the part of the authori- 
ties, and one man finally ventured to remark, in hopes 
of discouraging her : " That is quite true, Madame, but 
there are so many difficulties in carrying out any plan, 
that there seems to be no means of help ; and to talk 
about it is simply to stir up the emotions." 

But Eugenie was not the woman to be deterred by 
opposition or ridicule from a purpose she had determined 
to carry out. She therefore retorted : " Excuse me, this 
is a matter of philanthropy, not of politics ! " and, taking 
the whole affair into her own hands, pursued it vigor- 
ously to a successful end. By her prompt and energetic 
interference, many a child delinquent was transformed 
into a good citizen ; and the reforms she instituted are 
still in force to-day, although it is thirty years since she 
ceased to rule in France. 

355 



Empresses of France 

Eugenie also visited the House of Correction for 
women, and was much affected there at the sight of a 
poor young girl who, although dying, repulsed all the 
Sisters, saying : " Leave me alone ; there is no God. I 
cannot suffer more in hell than I have upon earth ! " 
The Empress drew near the poor woman, and, bending 
over her, began to speak so gently and persuasively that 
the girl stared at her in speechless amazementt. Finally, 
she gasped in wonder : " How is it, you are the Em- 
press, are you not ? And you, who are so beautiful, so 
rich, and so happy, to take an interest in an outcast like 
me, and seem troubled because I suffer ! It must be 
true then that there is a merciful God, since you have 
such a kind heart ! " 

The girl was so touched and softened, that she now 
allowed the Sisters to minister to her bodily and spiritual 
needs, and, before she died, she crept, a repentant Magda- 
len, to the feet of her Saviour, and cast upon Him the 
intolerable burden of all her sins, trusting wholly in His 
power to save her. 

Although Eugenie always made charity visits as quietly 
and unostentatiously as possible, it soon became known 
that she had come to visit the Home, and when she 
finally came out a crowd was awaiting her. She was 
almost carried to her carriage by sobbing women, vi^ho 
called blessings down upon her head, kissed her hands 
and clothes, called her " Sister of Mercy," and cheered 
until she was out of sight. But when the Empress 
reached home, she was touched to discover that these 
poor creatures had snipped her flounces almost to pieces, 
to secure what seemed to them holy and therefore 
priceless relics of her visit. 

During the summer of 1865, Eugenie paid her usual 
visit to Biarritz, where Bismarck came to visit the Em- 

356 



Eugenie 



peror, and tramped with him and Merimee along the 
sands. Writing of this visit and of the German visitor, 
Merimee says : " He is a big German, very polite and 
by no means naif. . . . He brought with him his wife, 
who has the biggest feet in Germany, and a daughter who 
walks in her mother's footsteps. Adieu, I am going 
to nurse myself until the fetes at Compiegne make me ill 
again." 

This gibe against Madame Bismarck's feet, whose size 
contrasted oddly with Eugenie's and her court ladies', is 
said to have had no small share in the Franco-Prussian 
war. It is even reported that Bismarck, on hearing that 
the court ladies made fun of the wife whom he tenderly 
loved, then and there swore dire vengeance, and knew 
no rest until he had wreaked it to the full. 

While staying at Biarritz in 1866, their Majesties 
suddenly learned that Paris was again threatened by a 
cholera epidemic, such as had decimated the population 
in various parts of France in 1849 ^^^ ^" 1856. The 
news no sooner reached them than they hastened back 
to the capital, knowing their presence would stimulate 
measures for relief, and encourage the panic-stricken 
inhabitants. As Eugenie had a heavy cold, the Em- 
peror slipped out of the palace the next morning, with- 
out her knowledge, to visit the cholera hospitals alone. 
When he returned, Eugenie, who was brave and often 
proudly declared that she belonged " to the race of the 
Cid and of Don Quixote," reproached him for not hav- 
ing taken her with him, and announced her intention to 
visit the hospitals herself on the very next day. 

Her usual companion was allowed to accompany her 
only after promising to remain in the carriage, for 
Eugenie would not expose any one else to the danger 
she faced so bravely. She visited three cholera hospitals 

357 



Empresses of France 

that day, speaking to the patients, encouraging the doctors 
and nurses, and showing herself so womanly and com- 
passionate that all who saw her were ready to bow down 
and almost worship her. One of the victims to whom 
she ministered with her own hand, murmured faintly : 
" Thank you. Sister," thinking it was one of the nurses. 
But when a nun bent down to enlighten him, Eugenie 
prevented her, saying : " Never mind. Sister, he could 
not have given me a prettier name." 

Her friend Merimee, writing of these visits, said : " I 
am not sure that this is very prudent, but it is praise- 
worthy. With reference to hindering her action in such 
emergencies, you know as well as I do, that it is impos- 
sible. If we presume to talk to her of danger, she will 
only expose herself to it all the more." 

He was right, for Eugenie not only braved an epi- 
demic which made cowards of the most daring, but 
risked — what many a vain woman would have prized 
even more than her life — her matchless beauty, by 
inspecting also the small-pox wards, where many patients 
were then suffering. Here, too, she entered alone, and 
when one of the generals commented later upon her 
courage, she simply answered : " Oh, sir, we are neither 
of us afraid to stand fire ! " 

But while her charity and fearlessness roused fervent 
admiration at times, the people resented her interference 
in state matters, for she was a foreigner, and it seemed 
to them that such affairs were any way far beyond a 
woman's comprehension. Besides, they found great 
fault with what they deemed her narrow views and 
Spanish bigotry. They, therefore, eagerly welcomed the 
remark of a wit and punster, who once declared " Le 
parti d' Eugenie n'est pas le parti du Genie " (Eugenie's 
party is not that of genius). A few of her friends, notic- 

358 




The Emperor, Empress and Prince Lmperial. 



Eugenie 



ing this tendency among the people, tried to persuade 
her not to meddle with politics any more ; but, failing in 
their efforts, one of them despairingly cried : "If she 
would only take warning by the example of Marie Antoi- 
nette ! It is exactly the same story over again. But she 
will take no hint. My wife tried, but was made to feel 
that she must not attempt anything of the kind again." 

This critic was both right and wrong ; Eugenie would 
have probably been spared some of her sorrows had she 
remained aloof from politics j but she was acting accord- 
ing to the dictates of her conscience, which would not 
permit her to remain passive. Besides, her husband 
wished her to take part in government affairs, for his 
health was already very poor, and he foresaw the time 
when Eugenie might have to stand alone at the helm, 
until her son could safely take it out of her hands. 

The French were particularly sore just then, because 
Germany had lately won great laurels in the battle of 
Sadowa, while the Mexican war, the last military enter- 
prise in which they had taken part, had proved a distinct 
failure. Indeed, the Emperor had been forced to recall 
his troops and abandon poor Maximilian. 

The latter's wife, Carlotta, presented herself at St. 
Cloud one hot August day, and spent hours trying to 
wring more assistance from Napoleon. One of her 
attendants having informed a court lady that her mistress 
always drank orange water at that hour of the day, some 
was carried into the room where Carlotta was pleading 
with Napoleon and Eugenie. The Empress, although 
annoyed at this trivial interruption, courteously offered 
the refreshing draught to her guest, partaking of a little 
of it herself. 

Carlotta, finding she could not secure Napoleon's 
promise to lend her unhappy husband further aid, de- 

359 



Empresses of France 

parted from St. Cloud in anger, exclaiming bitterly : 
" The grand-daughter of Louis Philippe ought never to 
have trusted her fate to a Bonaparte ! " 

Her excitement, the heat, and the bitter disappoint- 
ment combined to make her very ill, and when she went 
mad a few days later, some of Eugenie's enemies de- 
clared that the Empress had poisoned her guest with an 
innocent glass of orange water. Poor Carlotta became 
hopelessly mad ; and she fortunately never recovered her 
senses sufficiently to realise that her gallant and adored 
husband had been executed in Mexico. 

That summer, the French court sojourned as usual at 
Fontainebleau and at Biarritz, where Merimee acted as 
escort to the Empress when she went with the Prince 
Imperial to visit a famous smuggler's cave near the 
coast. The autumn season at Compiegne was even 
more brilliant and interesting than usual, for the Imperial 
guests often included such famous writers as Alexander 
Dumas, Emile Augier, Ernest Legouve, Octave Feuillet, 
Edmond About, Gustave Flaubert, such artists as Meis- 
sonier and Dore, the musicians Auber, Berlioz, Gounod, 
and Thomas, and the scientist, Pasteur, who discovered 
the proper treatment for rabies. 

Napoleon III., having decided to have another Expo- 
sition in Paris in 1867, immense preparations were made 
to have it open promptly on the second of April. 
Again, as in 1856, visitors came in throngs from all 
parts of Europe and America, and Paris was for a time 
the " inn of the world." Besides the exiled sovereigns 
who had taken up their abode in the French capital, 
many crowned heads now came to visit the Exposition, 
and they were all sumptuously entertained by Napoleon 
and Eugenie. Court gaieties succeeded each other with 
almost bewildering rapidity ; but people said that the 

360 



Eugenie 



Imperial court was then as corrupt as it was brilliant. 
The fact is that all the European courts at that time, 
save the English and Prussian, enjoyed the sarhe unenvi- 
able reputation ; but while the morals of Napoleon and 
of his friends cannot bear scrutiny, Eugenie herself can 
be accused of nothing worse than imprudence and blind- 
ness concerning the standing of some of the people with 
whom she associated. 

Among the titled guests entertained by the Imperial 
couple for the Exposition were two of Queen Victoria's 
sons, King Oscar of Sweden, the Crown Prince and 
Princess of Prussia, the Sultan, the Czar, etc., etc. It 
was during the visit of the Russian Emperor that their 
Majesties attended the races at Longchamps, where 
Eugenie attracted more attention by her dazzling beauty 
and the charming manner in which she acknowledged 
the people's homage, than the two Emperors seated side 
by side in the same carriage. Still, they were to furnish 
their sensation too, for a Pole suddenly sprang forward 
attempting to kill the Czar, who was saved by the pres- 
ence of mind and devotion of one of the attendants. 
Both he and Napoleon showed great calmness and- cour- 
age, and were so little affected by this occurrence that 
they attended the ball at the Russian Embassy that same 
evening. 

The King of Sweden, who was also made much of by 
his Imperial hosts, was present at the distribution of 
medals at the Exposition, in the middle of the summer. 
At this ceremony, the Emperor was surprised to see his 
son suddenly step forward, and present him with a prize 
for the redemption of waste lands, — a reward he well 
deserved, — but scarcely expected to receive. The ten- 
year old Prince acquitted himself well of his part in this 
affair, and when his little speech was over, he was 

361 



Empresses of France 

warmly applauded, while the people cheered loudly for 
the recipient of the medal. But that day was not to be 
one of unalloyed pleasure for Napoleon, for the tid- 
ings of Maximilian's death came just then to fill his 
heart with sorrow. 

Napoleon and Eugenie were both very superstitious, 
but the former was fatalistic as well, and already too in- 
clined to believe a prophecy made in 1841, predicting 
the rise of a Second Empire, its downfall occurring 
simultaneously with an attack from the Germans, and 
the destruction of Paris by fire and bloodshed. Spaniards 
are, as a rule, all more or less superstitious, so it is no 
wonder that Eugenie, however strong-minded in other 
respects, should have believed in omens. In her anxiety 
to learn something of future events, and stimulated by a 
thirst for novelty, we are told she eagerly investigated 
occult and psychic as well as scientific questions, and 
took a lively interest in all forms of mesmerism, spirit- 
ualism, and clairvoyance. At one time the whole court 
was amused by seances, spirit-rappings, and table-mov- 
ings, which brought a little variety in the usually mono- 
tonous round of court entertainments. But a charlatan 
having sought to take advantage of his position to dis- 
cover state secrets, and direct the course of events by 
subtle hints and peculiar prophecies, the Emperor put an 
abrupt end to all such performances. 

Many people erroneously fancied that court life was 
always as gay as it seemed on state occasions ; and much 
was said about the revels in which the inhabitants of the 
Tuileries were supposed to indulge. The fact is that 
the private entertainments were far quieter and more 
decorous than those given in many other houses, and so 
unpretentious, that whenever there was any dancing, a 
mechanical piano or a hand organ supplied all the music. 

3.62 



Eugenie 

Eugenie, however, tried to make evenings pass pleasantly, 
not only because she was hospitably anxious to entertain 
her guests, but because she knew the Emperor re- 
quired relaxation, and wished to divert his mind as much 
as possible from his arduous political studies, and beguile 
the pain which he so often suffered from rheumatism and 
gravel. Hearing that people cavilled at the so-called 
court orgies, Eugenie was naturally surprised, and once 
impatiently exclaimed : " Really, do they find fault with 
our having a good time at the Tuileries ? It is as 
little as I can do to give some diversion to the poor 
Emperor, who is worried all day with politics, and to 
give him an opportunity to see some pretty faces." 

In 1868, when the press laws were modified, Henri de 
Rochefort began to edit a revolutionary paper called 
" La Lanterne," wherein he attacked the Emperor and 
Eugenie with the utmost virulence. A clever, sarcastic 
writer, he penned sensational articles, wherein he ranted 
and raved against their Majesties, whom he accused of 
every heinous sin he could imagine. But Napoleon and 
Eugenie attached so little importance to his calumnies, 
that they at first paid no attention to them. Indeed, 
Eugenie is said to have read them mainly to discover 
what the man would say next, and to have laughed quite 
heartily at times over their ludicrous exaggeration. 

But the slanders she fancied no one could possibly 
believe, were repeated so often, and reached so many 
ears, that they gradually won credence, and finally 
proved an important factor in undermining the faith of 
the people in the Imperial government. Rochefort be- 
came so lawless, at last, that his paper had to be sup- 
pressed ; but he fled to Belgium and continued his attacks 
with the same vehemence and skill, until he again 
returned to France. 

363 



Empresses of France 

Early in May, the Prince Imperial, who had been 
receiving a preparatory course of instruction in his 
mother's oratory, was solemnly confirmed in the Chapel 
of the Tuileries. He was already thoughtful and learned 
beyond his years, and the usual companion of his father, 
who delighted in examining mechanical inventions with 
him, and initiated him into many of his favourite pur- 
suits. In August, the family went as usual to Biarritz, 
where the Empress and Prince Imperial were for a time 
in imminent danger. They had gone out yachting with 
quite a large party, including the Empress' chaplain. 
The wind freshened suddenly, and rose to the height of 
a storm before they could return to shore. The captain 
losing his bearings in the darkness and tempest, the ship 
ran upon a rock, causing a great panic, and for a few 
moments it really seemed as if all on board would perish. 
But the Empress set a good example by remaining very 
calm through all the confusion, her only anxiety being to 
shield her son, whom she held tight in her arms. When 
she quietly told him : " Don't be afraid, Louis," he 
showed that he had inherited all her courage and spirit 
by bravely answering : '' I am not afraid, mamma, I do 
not forget that my name is Napoleon." 

The Empress' courage and calmness proved so inspir- 
ing, and the crew went to work with such good will, that 
soon all were safely landed. Meantime, the Emperor had 
been very anxious, and hastened down to the shore just 
in time to welcome the returning travellers. The pilot 
bore witness to Eugenie's fortitude by exclaiming : *'Sire, 
we were able to cross only because the Empress was on 
board. We never would have accomplished it but for 
her. She brought us good luck ! " All the sailors fully 
agreed with him ; but they were less complimentary when 
it came to the chaplain, for, true to their calling, they 

364 



Eugenie 



considered a priest on board equivalent to a Jonah, and 
ascribed the storm and danger solely to his presence 
among them. 

In September the Emperor lost another staunch adherent 
and unacknowledged relative in Walewski, who was an 
illegitimate son of Napoleon I. This man possessed 
great diplomatic skill, and was a safer and more honest 
adviser than many of his contemporaries at the court 
of Napoleon III. 

In 1869, the centenary of the birth of Napoleon I., 
the Emperor and Prince Imperial journeyed to Ajaccio 
in Corsica, where " Napoleon Day " was celebrated with 
the utmost pomp. Then they proceeded to Algeria, and, 
after their return, visited the camp at Chalons together. 
The Prince was daily becoming more of a companion 
for his father, who, feeling his health failing rapidly, was 
more and more anxious to keep him as much as possible 
before the eyes of the people, so that they might learn to 
love and admire him, and thus be ready to welcome his 
accession to the throne. 

The Prince Imperial liked travelling with his father, 
and as he was a born soldier, nothing delighted him so 
much as a visit to the camp. There he viewed all the 
manoeuvres with profound interest, and rode beside the 
Emperor when the latter reviewed the troops. A spec- 
tator reports that he " held himself so well and was so cool 
and dignified, that he looked like his father become a 
boy again," 

Although the Empress had not gone to Corsica or 
Algeria, she, too, was planning an extended trip ; for it 
had been decided that she should inaugurate the Suez 
Canal, which had been built by her mother's first cousin, 
Ferdinand de Lesseps. This world-renowned engineer 
had secured his first franchise in 1854, and now, after 

365 



Empresses of France 

fourteen years of hard work, was on the eve of demon- 
strating the success or failure of his undertaking. He 
had met with great opposition, especially among the 
English ; for Lord Palmerston, then Prime Minister, de- 
clared openly that, " All the engineers of Europe might 
say what they pleased, he knew more than they did, and 
their opinion would never make him change his one 
jot!" 

The Emperor Napoleon, on the other hand, having 
planned during his imprisonment a ship canal through 
Central America, was strongly in favour of this scheme, 
to which he lent all his personal support ; for it had been 
decided that the canal should be a commercial and not a 
political affair. In spite of discouragements which would 
have daunted any one else, De Lesseps persevered, 
loyally supported by the Empress, who, as her husband 
was just then too ill to bear a long journey, promised 
to open the canal for her kinsman. 

The Empress took advantage of this journey to visit 
Venice, Athens, and Constantinople in the Imperial 
yacht, and sailed up the Nile, whence she wrote to her 
husband : — 

My very dear Louis : — I am writing to you on my way 
up the Nile. If I were to tell you we are cool, it would not be 
absolutely true, still the heat is quite endurable, for there is a 
good breeze blowing, but out in the sunshine, it is very diiFer- 
ent ! I keep you informed by telegraph of the state of the at- 
mosphere. I hear from you and Louis every day by telegraph ; 
it is wonderful, and very nice for me to feel bound to the shore 
by this wire which connects me with those I love. 

I am full of enthusiasm over our charming journey, which I 
would like to describe to you, but so many other, more learned 
and graphic writers than I, have undertaken this task, that it 
seems to me as if I must be satisfied with admiring in silence. 

366 



Eugenie 



I was greatly worried to know you were in Paris yesterday and 
without me, but I learn by a despatch all has gone on satisfac- 
torily. When one sees other nations, one can better judge and 
realise the ingratitude of our own. I think, in spite of every- 
thing, that one ought not to be dismayed, but go on treading 
the path you have laid out. 

Everybody says and thinks that it is a fine thing to have faith 
in the concessions which have been granted. I trust, therefore, 
that your speech will lay stress upon this point, and the greater the 
need of force later on, the more clearly it will demonstrate to 
the country that we have real beliefs and are not driven to expe- 
dients. I am very far away, and too ill-informed concerning 
events since my departure to speak thus, but I feel sure that our 
real strength lies in persevering in our beliefs, and I do not like 
sudden changes. I am convinced that in the same reign one 
cannot successfully make two Coups d'fitat. I am talking at 
random, however, for I am preaching to one who knows all this 
far better than I. But some things must be said, if only to 
prove what you know, that my heart is with you both, and if, 
in days of calmness, my active spirit likes to roam abroad, I love 
to be close beside you both in times of trial and anxiety. Far 
from noise and strife, one inhales a healing peace, and by an 
effort of imagination I persuade myself that all is well since I 
know nothing to the contrary. Do seek some amusement, one 
cannot live without it, and I believe one should build up one's 
weary mind like one's enfeebled body, and that even the best 
organised brain can be worn out by a single persistent train of 
thought. I have learned all this by experience, and I will no 
longer dwell upon the things which have dimmed the bright 
colours of my illusions. My own life is over, but I live again in 
my son, and I believe that the joys which reach my heart 
through his will prove real. Meantime, I am enjoying my 
journey, the sunsets, and this strange scenery with its strips of 
cultivated land about fifty metres wide along either shore, and 
beyond that the desert with its sand hills all aglow in the blazing 
sun. Farewell, and believe in the love of your devoted 

(Signed) Eugenie. 

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Empresses of France 

Eugenie's enemies see in this letter an irrefragable proof 
that " hers was the brain which planned the schemes 
which her husband carried out," but others, less preju- 
diced, only see a wife and mother who took a keen 
interest in all that concerned her beloved ones at home. 

After visiting Cairo, where she viewed the Egyptian 
dancers, and made a nocturnal expedition to see the 
Pyramids illuminated by calcium lights, Eugenie went 
to Alexandria, and, embarking on the " Aigle," sailed to 
Port Said, where a fleet of about one hundred and fifty 
vessels hung out all its bunting and manned all its yards 
in her honour. Eugenie's vessel was to head the pro- 
cession, which included vessels from almost every country, 
on board of which were the Emperor of Austria, the 
Crown Prince of Prussia, and many other royal personages 
who had come thither to witness the opening of the 
Great Canal. 

Ferdinand de Lesseps was on the Empress' yacht; 
but although he appeared calm and confident, he was 
trembling lest his plans should fail, and his credit thereby 
suffer dire shipwreck. Almost at the last minute two 
serious contretemps arose : first, a huge rock was sud- 
denly discovered buried in the soft sand in the only 
section of the canal which had yet to be dug out. This, 
however, was happily disposed of by means of heavy 
charges of powder forwarded from Cairo. The more 
serious mishap, however, was that an Egyptian frigate, 
having gone part way along the canal, in trying to turn 
around, buried its stem and stern on either bank, and 
stuck fast, thus entirely blocking the passage. Giving 
hasty orders to dig her out, tear her loose, or blow her 
up if need be, De Lesseps hurried off to his post at the 
Empress' side, where he eagerly awaited a signal an- 
nouncing that the passage was free. The French yacht 

368 



Eugenie 



was the first to enter the canal, followed by many other 
vessels, none of which drew more than thirteen feet of 
water, for the canal was not yet finished, and its depth 
much less than at the present day. Five minutes before 
reaching the bend whence the unlucky frigate would be 
seen, De Lesseps, to his infinite relief, received the 
signal that the passage was clear. When the Imperial 
yacht reached the ominous point, the frigate was safely 
moored to one side of the canal, with flags streaming 
from its yards and every mast-head, and De Lesseps 
could record, with a chuckle of amusement, that " every 
one was charmed with the attention which had placed a 
large frigate on the passage of the fleet of inauguration ! " 
At Port Said, the Empress and other august guests 
landed, and went to a pavilion, where Eugenie took the 
seat of honour under a dais, and, surrounded by all the 
royal guests, witnessed the ceremonies by which the 
Mohammedan, Greek-Catholic, Coptic, and Roman 
Catholic Clergy proceeded to bless the new canal. The 
Empress then graciously received some flowers tendered 
by a group of young girls, before returning to her yacht, 
amid the deafening cheers of the natives and of six 
thousand strangers assembled to view the pageant. 
That evening an illumination and fireworks formed part 
of the entertainment, and the next day her vessel led the 
way along the canal to Ismailia, which it reached only at 
sunset. Eugenie was overjoyed to know that her kins- 
man's canal was a complete success, but speaking of 
this journey she afterwards confessed, " That during the 
whole journey, she had felt as though a circle of fire 
were round her head, because every moment she fancied 
that the ' Aigle ' stopped short, saw the honour of the 
French flag compromised, and the fruit of all our labours 
lost." De Lesseps adds that at the state dinner she was 

VOL. I. — 24 369 



Empresses of France 

obliged to leave the table, for her emotions overcame her. 
" We overheard her sobs, — sobs which do her honour, 
for it was French patriotism overflowing from her 
heart ! " 

The Empress lodged at Monsieur De Lesseps's house, 
but visited the Khedive's palace on the next day, and 
enjoyed an exhibition of Bedouin fine horsemanship. 
She also attended a grand ball where several thousand 
people could admire her without restraint in all the 
splendour of state attire. 

On the 19th of November, 1869, Eugenie sailed 
back along the canal, which now permanently connected 
the Red and Mediterranean Seas, greatly shortening the 
distance between Europe and India, and thereby confer- 
ring an inestimable benefit especially upon the English, 
who had so opposed and dreaded this very undertaking. 
An Englishman who was present at the canal opening, 
speaking of Eugenie, says : " It was impossible to over- 
rate the gracious influence of the Empress' presence. 
The occasion, great as it was, would have lost its 
romance if she had not been there. She it was who 
roused the spirit of chivalry, checked the spirit of strife, 
enmity, and intrigue among rival men, and spread the 
gauzy hues of poetry over commerce, science, and 
avarice." 

Meantime, the Emperor took advantage of his wife's 
absence to submit to an operation which allayed the 
pain he suffered with such fortitude, although it could 
not eradicate the disease from which he died. He had 
always been a liberal in politics and ready to place as 
much power as possible in the hands of the people. The 
time now seemed to him propitious to carry out his pet 
plan to establish in France a constitutional empire. 
Knowing his health was very precarious, and that in 

370 



Eugenie 



case of his demise the power would rest for several years 
in the hands of a woman and of a boy, he determined to 
relieve them of as much responsibility as possible by 
making the long projected change in the government. 

At the next elections, therefore, the people voted on 
this question, and France became a constitutional Empire 
by virtue of eight million votes, which showed how 
eagerly the change was welcomed. It was thus that, 
early in 1870, Napoleon placed in the people's hands 
much of the power which he had wielded so long, so he 
cannot be held wholly responsible for many of the catas- 
trophes which ensued, although they have all been laid 
at his door. 

Eugenie was warmly welcomed on her return, and had 
much to relate of all she had seen and heard during her 
travels. It is said that traces of her recent expedition were 
even perceptible in her attire, her favourite tint being 
now a pale green which became very fashionable and 
was poetically dubbed " Nile green " or " Eau de Nil." 
Besides, the " burnoose " or Arab mantle, with its stripes 
of many hues, now became the favourite summer and 
evening wrap. But although Eugenie's detractors vowed 
that fashions occupied far too great a share of her time 
and attention, she diligently fostered and encouraged 
charitable institutions, which she frequently visited. 
Indeed, thanks to her patronage, they increased more 
rapidly during the Empire than at any other time, for 
between the years 1 852-1 869 three thousand nine 
hundred and forty-two new institutions, and one thou- 
sand nine hundred and four new infant schools were 
opened in the city of Paris. 

The Empress, besides inspecting all these places from 
time to time, diligently collected and sorted her husband's 
papers, which were carefully put aside as valuable histor- 

371 



Empresses of France 

ical data. Indeed, Eugenie was so jealous of her hus- 
band's renown, that she wished all these documents 
■preserved for posterity, and often laughingly remarked 
when she had saved some paper from destruction : '' I 
run like a mouse after the Emperor's bread-crumbs." 

Not being a liberal in politics, however, she did not 
approve of the change Napoleon had recently made. 
Besides, she still wished to help the Pope maintain his 
temporal power, and thought the Emperor was placing 
too much authority in the hands of the people. Sorne 
writers further add that she was very anxious to have her 
husband abdicate in his son's favour, so she could wield 
the Imperial power as Regent. The latter statement 
seems, however, most unjustifiable ; for while Eugenie 
did regret to see her husband ready to entrust his 
power to others, and apparently so lacking in energy, 
she ascribed his languid indifference to a passing illness 
only, for she did not suspect how seriously ill he was 
already. 

Prussia had been enlarging itself on all sides, and, 
owing to successful wars with Austria and Denmark, had 
risen in a very few years to the rank of an important 
power. German statesmen had foreseen and prepared 
for a conflict with France, which they were determined to 
bring about in good time, knowing it would result in 
German unity. A dispute concerning the candidacy 
of a Hohenzollern Prince for the Spanish throne, proved 
a spark of fire in the long waiting powder barrel. The 
Emperor, remembering the scenes he had witnessed on 
the Italian battle-fields, and too ill to wish for aught but 
peace, used all his authority to avoid a conflict. But his 
new cabinet, headed by Ollivier, and especially the 
Catholic and so called war-party, were in favour of war. 
The Empress was too spirited a woman to bear any 

372 



Eugenie 



insult tamely, and when informed that the King of Prussia 
had treated Benedetti, the French emissary, cavalierly, 
she Waxed very wroth indeed. At the council, Marshal 
Leboeuf exclaimed with great violence that he would 
resign immediately if war w^ere not declared instantly, 
and Eugenie, ill advised, warmly supported his views, 
saying that " war was an unavoidable necessity, if the 
honour of France was not to become an empty 
word." 

In spite of all the pressure brought to bear upon him 
at a time when he was too ill to endure any strain. 
Napoleon resisted as long as he could; but, vanquished at 
last by Eugenie's arguments, he finally consented to do 
as the war faction wished. It had been impressed so 
forcibly upon the Empress that the Emperor was ruined 
unless war was declared, that she rejoiced openly at this 
decision, and, full of courage and hope, innocently 
boasted that this was her war. This unfortunate 
remark, repeated far and wide, attracted much more 
attention than necessary to the fact that Eugenie was in 
favour of war, and when it turned out unsuccessfully, 
made many people lay all the odium of it upon her. 

The Emperor, misled by Marshal Leboeuf 's assurance 
that all was more than ready {archi pret) and that the army 
was in such fine condition that not a gaiter button would 
be missing when called into the field, declared war on 
the flimsiest of pretexts. All the nation immediately 
vociferated, " On to Berlin ! " for no one doubted the 
success of the war in which the Emperor was to act as 
General-in-Chief, while Eugenie again became Regent. 
And yet, although murmurs had been heard from time to 
time, the people still had confidence in the Empress, and 
Rouher merely expressed the popular belief when he said 
in his address : '' Your Majesty is drawing the sword, 

373 



Empresses of France 

and the whole nation is quivering with pride and eager- 
ness to accompany you. Our august Empress is again to 
preserve the Imperial power, and our great Legislative 
Assembly will protect her with respectful devotion. 
The people well know her generous heart, and have per- 
fect confidence in her wisdom and energy." 

Preparations were now made with feverish haste, and 
Eugenie, who was very anxious that her son should be 
manly and brave, decided that he should accompany his 
father, although he was then only thirteen years of age. 
This news was announced to Countess de Montijo in the 
following despatch : — 

Louis will set out for the army in a few days with his 
father. I want you to send him your blessing before he leaves. 
Don't worry. I am perfectly calm. He must do his duty and 
uphold his name. I write to you by this mail. 

(Signed) Eugenie. 

The grandmother immediately telegraphed her blessing, 
which the Prince acknowledged thus : — 

Thank you, dear grandmamma, for your dispatch. 1 hope 
it will bring me luck. I am writing to you to-day. 

(Signed) Louis Napoleon. 

He and his father left St. Cloud at the end of July, 
bidding farewell to Eugenie, and boarding the train at 
the Park station, instead of driving through the capital, 
where the Emperor feared he would not receive the 
same ovation as when he set out for Italy in 1859. 

Soon after reaching the army headquarters, the Em- 
peror and his son witnessed a small engagement at Saar- 
briick, and, when it was over, the fond father telegraphed 
to Eugenie : — 

Louis has stood fire for the first time [literally, has received 
his baptism of fire] . He was admirably calm, and never lost his 

374 




The Prince Imperial as a Cadet. 



Eugenie 



self-possession. One of General Froissard's divisions carried the 
heights which command the east side of Saarbriick. The Prus- 
sians made a short resistance. We were in the foremost rank 
and bullets fell at our feet. Louis has kept one ball that fell 
close by him. Some of the soldiers wept when they saw him 
so composed. We lost only one officer and ten men. 

(Signed) Napoleon. 

This telegram, so natural on the part of a doting par- 
ent when addressed to the mother of an only son, was, 
however, soon made public. Foreign newspapers, using 
the literal translation, went into shrieks of merriment over 
this ridiculous phrase of their own concoction, making 
all manner of fun of both father and child, and, strange 
to relate, this mistake still causes occasional comment. 

The Emperor had always maintained, that with the 
French everything depended on the first move. If that 
proved successful, the soldiers could be depended upon to 
fight admirably, while a check at the outset was sure to 
rob them of confidence in their generals and hence of all 
courage. The little engagement of Saarbriick was speed- 
ily followed by the battles of Weissembourg and of 
Woerth which, being both crushing defeats, may be said 
to have decided the issue of the war. Indeed, Napoleon 
himself telegraphed to Eugenie after Woerth : " All is 
lost. Try to hold your own in Paris." 

These defeats opened the nation's eyes in a very 
rough way, and when the people discovered that their 
army was not going " on to Berlin," but that the Ger- 
mans were coming to Paris, they were in despair. They 
now blamed the Emperor for hurrying them into an un- 
necessary war, when no preparations had been made, and 
discovered with dismay that their boasted army was ill- 
trained, ill-fed, and ill-armed, and that the enemy out- 
numbered them eight to one. The people fairly howled 

375 



Empresses of France 

with rage and disappointment, while the newspapers 
shrieked the most bitter denunciations against the 
government. 

Eugenie, at the news of these defeats and of the popu- 
lace's anger, immediately hastened back to Paris, although 
the Tuileries were almost uninhabitable in summer, and 
took up her abode there, determined to be near at hand 
in case of emergency. The day after her arrival there, 
she issued the following proclamation : — 

Frenchmen ! — The beginning of the war has not been 
favourable to us, and our armies have suffered defeat, but let us 
be firm in resistance and hasten to retrieve our losses. Let 
there be but one party among us, that of France. Let us have 
but one standard, that of our honour ! I shall be in your midst, 
and you will see me faithful to my duty and calling, the first 
where danger threatens, the foremost to guard the banner of the 
Empire. I call upon all good citizens to preserve order, any 
violation of it would be equivalent to conspiring with the enemy. 
(Signed) Eugenie. 

Of an ardent, impetuous nature, Eugenie burned to do 
something, and even offered to lead the defence ; but her 
advisers wisely restrained her, knowing the people would 
be sure to misjudge her, for they now remembered all 
the scurrilous articles written by Rochefort and others, 
felt that she was not a born Frenchwoman, knew she 
had been in favour of this disastrous war, and realised 
that the Empire had cost vast sums of money. The 
people were not only dissatisfied with the government, 
but with the management of the war, and clamoured for 
another general, until the Emperor yielded to their wishes 
and entrusted the command to Marshal Bazaine. He 
then offered to return to Paris himself, and perchance, had 
he done so, and acted energetically, the Empire might 

376 



Eugenie 



yet have been saved. But Eugenie, believing such a 
move would jeopardise not only his power but his life, 
sent Napoleon the apparently cruel, but pertinent mes- 
sage : " Come back victorious, or do not come at all. 
All or nothing." She would not allow her son to re- 
turn to the capital either ; for heads were so heated that 
she feared lest he too might not be safe there. 

Still Eugenie deserved all the support the people could 
have given her, for she was now nobly straining every 
nerve to atone for the past and undo the harm she had 
unwittingly done. Even those who accuse her of vanity, 
extravagance, and bigotry, in time of prosperity, must 
concede that when adversity came she showed herself 
a brave, unselfish, and thoroughly noble woman. She 
not only worked early and late to establish ambulances 
for the wounded in the Tuileries galleries, which were 
turned into hospital wards, where she, too, nursed the 
sick, but whenever she sat down for a moment, picked 
lint as fast as her fingers could move. 

Racked with anxiety for her husband and son, as well 
as for the unhappy people, she could neither eat nor sleep, 
and, haunted by the sight of suff^ering, spent days which 
seemed like nightmares and long sleepless nights, ob- 
taining a few moments' rest and oblivion only when she 
resorted to strong narcotics. During the two months 
which elapsed between the first engagement, and her es- 
cape from the palace, it is said that she lived principally 
upon strong coffee and chloral, which braced her for the 
time being, but which left her weak and giddy and spent. 
But poor Eugenie had no time to think of herself j all 
her energies were bent upon sending troops northward 
to repel the invader, and when her counsellors urged 
that if she sent twenty thousand National Guards she 
would have no men left to hold the turbulent populace 

377 



Empresses of France 

in check, and would thus imperil the throne, she pas- 
sionately cried : — 

" Do not think of me, nor of the dynasty, but think 
of the army and of France. I will not even allow the 
question to be discussed. Just realise what a weight of 
remorse would rest upon us for all time, if it were ever 
in our power to say that these twenty thousand men 
might have changed defeat into victory, while we, under 
plea of protecting ourselves, kept them here in Paris. 
Lose not a moment ; let General Vinoy leave this very 
day ! " 

When France so rashly entered upon this war, she 
had no allies at all ; so Eugenie now implored England 
and Austria to intervene. Both held aloof, however, 
England mainly because Victoria's eldest daughter had 
married the Crown Prince of Prussia, and Austria be- 
cause the country had not yet recovered from the effects 
of its recent war and the defeat of Sadowa. Still, 
Eugenie left no stone unturned, and when she found her 
appeals disregarded, and perceived that the foe might 
press on to the very gates of Paris, she packed up the 
most important papers, the chief treasures of the Louvre, 
and all the crown jewels, and sent them on board a man- 
of-war where she knew they would be safe. Her own 
jewels were forwarded to her mother in Spain, so as to 
be disposed of there should an emergency arise. Under 
the influence of intense anxiety, and the double strain of 
painful excitement and over-exertion, Eugenie aged 
visibly in the course of these two months ; but although 
her strength sometimes flagged, her courage and energy 
never failed, and, sustained by indomitable will power, 
she bore all her trials with a fortitude which none of 
those around her could help admiring. 

On the 3rd of September, 1870, the manager of the 
378 



Eugenie 

Telegraph Office came to the Tuileries, and, meeting 
the Minister of State, said in low and awestruck tones : 
" I usually attend to the telegrams exchanged between 
their Majesties myself, but I have not the heart to de- 
liver this one." The paper which he thrust into the 
minister's hand was Napoleon's telegram after the army 
had surrendered at Sedan, wherein he briefly said : 

The army is defeated and taken. I am a prisoner. 

(Signed) Napoleon. 

These frightful tidings almost stunned Eugenie, but 
she soon remembered that her husband was still alive, 
her son free, and that it was her duty to defend France 
and maintain the Imperial authority, which — although 
she was not aware of the fact — had already slipped out 
of her hands for ever. Others, however, were better in- 
formed than she, for when she passed the Emperor's 
study, she caught a glimpse of his secretary busily 
destroying private papers. 

The news of the disaster of Sedan, and of the capture 
of the Emperor and of eighty thousand soldiers, was 
announced at an informal midnight meeting of the 
Legislative Assembly, which immediately deposed Na- 
poleon, appointed a provisional government, and con- 
firmed General Trochu's authority as Governor of Paris. 
Then it adjourned until noon the next day. Meantime, 
the Republic had already been proclaimed in Lyons and 
Marseilles, and when the turbulent element in the capi- 
tal heard of the Emperor's surrender and of the army's 
capture, they, too, began to vociferate : " Down with the 
Emperor ! Down with the Empress ! Long live the Re- 
public ! " and now and then expressed their views by 
muttering angrily : " An Emperor dies, but does not 
surrender ! " 

379 



Empresses of France 

The night was quiet at the Tuileries in spite of the 
fact that many of the servants, perceiving the drift of 
events, and, like rats, deserting a sinking ship, slipped 
quietly out of the palace, carrying off all they could. 
When Eugenie rose at six, after a sleepless night, there 
were no servants to bring her breakfast, and one of her 
ladies had to wait upon her instead. After hearing 
Mass in her private oratory as usual, the Empress visited 
the ambulance wards in the palace, before receiving an 
early call from General Trochu, who loudly protested 
his absolute devotion and swore to protect her. It is 
even said that he and Eugenie then discussed the advisa- 
bility of her donning a habit and riding with him through 
the streets to rouse the people, but that this plan could not 
be carried out because Eugenie's servants had stolen her 
habits, and there was none left in which she could appear. 

Eugenie next presided over the council as usual, little 
suspecting it would be her last, and although the advisa- 
bility of removing to Blois or Orleans was discussed, she 
so little realised the true state of affairs that she had not 
yet made the slightest preparation for departure. At 
one o'clock she received a deputation of the Legislative 
Assembly, which came to propose to her a species of 
abdication. Standing near the mantelpiece upon which 
she lightly leaned, Eugenie silently and patiently heard 
all they had to say and then answered : 

" Gentlemen, you say that your proposal leaves an 
opening for the future, but on condition that now, in 
the time of greatest peril, I should forsake the post en- 
trusted to me. I cannot do this. I must not consent 
to what you ask. But, believe me, the trials through 
which I have passed have been so painful, so terrible, 
that the thought of retaining this crown for the Em- 
peror and for my son has slight attractions for me. My 

380 



Eugenie 



only care, my sole ambition, is to fulfil, to their utmost 
extent, the duties which devolve upon me. If you 
believe, if the Legislative Assembly believes, that I am 
an obstacle, that the Emperor's name is an obstacle, and 
not a power to quell disorder and organise resistance, let 
them pronounce the Empire over and I shall not com- 
plain. I can then leave my post with honour. I shall 
not have forsaken it. But I feel convinced that the 
only sensible, patriotic action for the representatives of 
the country is to rally around me, around my govern- 
ment, to set aside for the present all personal questions, 
and to unite our efforts to repel the invasion. As for 
me, I am ready to brave every danger, and to follow the 
Legislative Assembly wherever it chooses to go to 
organise resistance. Should this resistance prove im- 
possible, I believe I could still be useful in obtaining 
less unfavourable conditions of peace. 

" Yesterday, the representative of a great power offered 
the arbitration of the neutral States, on the double under- 
standing of the integrity of territory in France and the 
maintenance of the Imperial dynasty. I answered that 
I was ready to accept arbitration on the first head, but I 
energetically refused the second. The maintenance of 
the dynasty is a question which concerns the country 
only, and I will never countenance the interference of 
foreign powers in home affairs. If you consider that 
the continuance of the power in my hands prevents all 
Frenchmen from uniting in defence of the country, do 
you believe, gentlemen, that it would be too presumptu- 
ous, on the part of a woman who voluntarily stepped 
down from the throne, to ask the Assembly's permission 
to remain in Paris in any dwelling they chose to assign, 
so as to have the privilege of sharing the suffering, the 
peril, and the anxieties of the besieged capital ? 

381 



Empresses of France 

" I authorise you to return to the Legislative Assembly 
and to tell General de Palikao and his colleagues that I 
have implicit confidence in them, and that I give them full 
liberty to take such measures in the interest of the country 
as they judge desirable, which I promise to sanction." 

But when the committee had gone, she added, speak- 
ing to her friends : " To abdicate would be to weaken 
our powers of resistance. I wanted nominal authority 
merely to prevent disorganisation. Let them do what 
they please, all I ask is to meet this danger. They 
won't allow me to do so. Ah ! in France one should 
never be unfortunate." 

Meantime the mob had collected around the Legisla- 
tive Assembly, which adjourned to another part of the 
city, when Gambetta declared : " The Republic shall 
not be proclaimed here, but in the City Hall ! " Part 
of the mob followed the deputies ; but the greater part 
congregated on the Place de la Concorde, which was 
soon black with heads. The crowd vociferated the 
Marseillaise, waved flags, and cast threatening glances 
at the Tuileries. Finally a mere boy scaled the palace 
railings, and amid the encouraging shouts of the mob, 
tore down the Imperial eagle above one of the gates. 
This seemed to act as a signal for the work of the 
vandals to begin, for they broke through the slender 
barrier and poured like a flood into the garden, where 
flowers and shrubs were reduced to shapeless pulp be- 
neath their trampling feet. As they advanced, hoarse 
cries of" On to the palace ! Abdication ! Down with 
the Spaniard ! Down with Madame Badinguet ! " were 
heard on all sides. The latter name was bestowed upon 
Eugenie in derision, because, when escaping from the 
fortress of Ham, Napoleon had donned the garments of 
a mason of that name. 

382 



Eugenie 

The cries of the people were of course plainly audible 
in the palace, where many people had assembled since 
morning, and where Eugenie's friends were urging her 
to escape while it was yet time. But the Empress was 
loath to resign the post of duty, and, instead of fleeing 
the country, wished to remain in it, declaring pathetically : 
" One can never be unhappy in France ! " 

The threatening cries made her realise, however, that 
something must be done, and turning to General Mellinet, 
she abruptly inquired : " General, can you defend the 
palace without resorting to arms ? " When he sadly 
answered : " Madame, I do not think so," she despair- 
ingly cried : " Then all is over ! Not a drop of blood 
shall be shed for me or mine. We must not add the 
horrors of civil war to our present disasters." Even 
then she could not make up her mind to go, although 
she implored all those who came to offer her assistance 
to leave as quickly as possible, and not to expose their 
precious lives. As it was impossible to bid them indi- 
vidual farewells, she appeared for a moment in their 
midst, and after a very few words took a final leave of 
them, by one of the slow sweeping curtseys which 
always won the admiration of all beholders. 

Eugenie having vanished, the sorrowing courtiers 
dispersed, while she hesitated and eagerly questioned the 
few persons collected in the inner apartment. She was 
still deliberating whether to go or not, when the Prefect 
of the Palace announced that the mob were forcing their 
way into the palace, and that, if she did not depart im- 
mediately, it would be too late. But it was only when 
assured that her presence endangered the building and 
its inmates that Eugenie, turning to her friends, asked 
for the last time : " Is this your last word ? Can I not 
be of use in organising the defence ? Tell me, have I 
done my duty to the very end ? " 

3^3 



Empresses of France 

When they tearfully assured her that she had done all 
a woman could, and that she must now leave to prevent 
a crime, Eugenie hastily donned the dark hat and cloak 
which one of her ladies brought her. Her friends pleaded 
for permission to accompany her ; but she would not 
allow any of them to do so, knowing it would be at the 
risk of their lives. She accepted the escort of Prince 
Metternich and of the Chevalier de Nigra, the Austrian 
and Italian ambassadors, because they were well known 
in Paris, and because, as foreigners and ambassadors, 
they were sure not to be molested. Her only female 
companion was her reader. Mademoiselle Lebreton, who 
insisted upon going with her. 

By this time, a part of the mob had already broken 
into the palace, and their shrieks were heard on the stair- 
case when Eugenie took the Chevalier de Nigra's arm, 
and passed rapidly through the rooms where she had 
reigned as mistress for seventeen years. As they swiftly 
passed the tall windows, she caught glimpses of the 
seething, menacing crowd, and sadly cried : " What 
folly to waste their powers of resistance thus, with the 
enemy at our gates ! " 

But although she would fain have lingered, and if 
necessary have died on the spot rather than flee, the 
ambassadors hurried her on to a gallery communicating 
with the Louvre Museum. On reaching the door, they 
were dismayed to find it locked, and while waiting for 
the key, shuddered with dread, for the mob was already 
breaking into the rooms they had just left. The key 
was fortunately produced without great delay, and as 
soon as the little group had passed safely, the door was 
again fastened behind them. Striding swiftly through 
the deserted Museum, Eugenie was heard to exclaim in 
mournful accents : " Unhappy palace ! It is then the 

384 



Eugenie 



decree of fate that all crowned heads shall leave you in 
this manner ! " 

Then she moved on for a time in silence, murmuring 
only from time to time : " A hollow dream ! A hollow 
dream ! " 

Thus they rapidly neared the opposite end of the vast 
building, and as they approached the gate by which they 
still hoped to escape, Eugenie said to her escort : " I am 
holding your arm. Do you feel any tremor ? " 

" No, Madame, you do not tremble," answered the 
Italian ambassador, and as he spoke he marvelled at the 
courage she showed ; for her husband was a prisoner, she 
did not know what had become of her idolised son, she 
had just been driven from the proudest throne in Europe, 
and was liable at any moment to meet the fate of her 
predecessor, Marie Antoinette, at the hands of an infuri- 
ated mob. Verily, it was enough to make even the 
bravest quail ! 

When the little party reached the St. Germain 
I'Auxerrois gate, they found a crowd there too ; but, as 
it seemed even more dangerous to linger than to advance, 
they ventured out boldly. Prince Metternich had 
ordered a carriage, but it was not at the spot he had in- 
dicated, and while he dashed off in quest of it. Monsieur 
de Nigra remained with the two ladies. They were both 
closely veiled, and he hoped they might yet escape 
recognition, when a ragamuffin suddenly caught a glimpse 
of Eugenie's wonderful hair, and, pointing excitedly, 
shrilly cried : " Look ! there 's the Empress ! " Before 
he could repeat this cry or attract the mob's attention. 
Nigra, with great presence of mind, gave him a stagger- 
ing box on the ear, exclaiming : " That 's to teach 
you to cry Empress, when the Republic has been 
proclaimed." 

VOL. I. -25 385 



Empresses of France 

Then, thrusting the ladies into the only cab at hand, 
he shouted an imaginary address to the coachman, who 
drove off at full speed. Eugenie and her companion 
were thus adrift in a great city, and it was only after they 
had driven several blocks that they discovered that three 
francs was the total amount of their combined fortune ! 
They had left in such haste, that not only had they taken 
no luggage with them, but the Empress had entirely for- 
gotten to provide herself with money. Fearing an alter- 
cation with the driver, should they not be able to meet 
his demands, the ladies did not dare to drive far, and get- 
ting out on Boulevard Haussmann dismissed him quietly. 
Alone, on foot, and penniless, they knocked at sundry 
doors ; but none of their friends were at home, and they 
were afraid to make themselves known to strange 
servants. 

At six o'clock, they finally reached the house of Dr. 
Evans, an American dentist who had often been to the 
palace to attend the Imperial family. Although his wife 
was then at the seashore, he was fortunately expecting 
two patients, who were to stay with him. Hearing that 
these ladies had come on foot and without any luggage. 
Dr. Evans told his servants to send them away ; but as 
the strangers insisted upon seeing him, and still refused 
to give their names, he went to dismiss them himself. 

To his utter amazement he recognised Eugenie, who 
implored his aid. He immediately promised to do all he 
could to help her, and led her and her companion to the 
rooms prepared for his guests, where he left them, tell- 
ing his servants that they were the patients he expected. 
Then he went out for a few minutes to reconnoitre in 
the streets, where he soon perceived that Eugenie had 
not escaped a minute too soon, and that great caution 
would be required to get her safely out of the city. In 

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Eugenie 



fact the mob was in full possession of the Tuileries, and, 
not content with slashing the canvases representing 
their Imperial Majesties, it was already destroying every 
memento of their presence there. Books and papers 
were tossed out of the windows and into the gardens, 
which were soon strewn with valuable documents. But 
although many people collected these papers as souvenirs, 
not a single scrap was found incriminating Eugenie in 
any way, and none could ever be produced as proof of 
the senseless charges made by her enemies. 

Eugenie, exhausted and in tears, shuddered when she 
heard Dr. Evans's report, and acquiesced when he pro- 
posed to take her out of the city early on the morrow. 
Fearing lest they should be recognised should they 
attempt to escape by rail. Dr. Evans resolved to resort 
to stratagem and drove to Neuilly. At the gate he was 
stopped, but making himself known to one of the offi- 
cers, he explained that he was on his way to a neigh- 
bouring insane asylum, to secure admittance for one of 
his patients. The officer did not for a moment doubt 
the truth of this assertion, and Dr. Evans, turning to the 
sentinel, remarked : " I shall want to pass through this 
gate very often ; look at me well so you will be sure to 
recognise me and not stop me again." 

Thanks to this precaution, he and his assistant, with 
Eugenie and Mademoiselle Lebreton passed the gate un- 
challenged on the morrow, and drove right on to Mantes. 
There, the same comedy was played, for Dr. Evans 
begged the hotel-keeper to give him a back room with 
heavily shuttered windows, explaining that he had to be 
very careful, as he was taking an insane lady to a private 
asylum, and was meantime responsible for her safety. 
The landlord accepted this explanation without demur, 
and when they drove off the next day, Eugenie pre- 

387 



Empresses of France 

tended to resist, repeating several times, for his and the 
coachman's benefit : " I won't go to the asylum ! " 

Changing carriages a Kttle further, so as to confuse 
any pursuers, they drove on, and, after two days' journey, 
reached Mrs. Evans at Deauville. Those two days' 
driving were torture for poor Eugenie, for not only were 
her nerves shattered by all she had been through, and 
her frame exhausted by sleeplessness and anxiety, but a 
heavy cold greatly added to her physical discomfort. 
Almost crazed with grief and suspense, she could no 
longer control her tears and wept incessantly. By some 
mischance, the whole party could only muster a couple 
of handkerchiefs for her use, so Eugenie was not only 
forced to wash them in her basin at night, and iron 
them over her knee in the morning ; but Dr. Evans had 
to supplement her efforts and turn laundryman at a pool 
by the wayside. Still, even in the midst of her own 
overwhelming sorrows, Eugenie was not unmindful of 
others, and seeing a poor horse brutally ill-treated, inter- 
fered in his behalf so energetically, that she came very 
near betraying her identity and thus forfeiting her 
liberty. 

Dr. Evans had no sooner placed the Empress in his 
wife's care, than he set out to find some means of get- 
ting her safely across the Channel. During his absence, 
Mrs. Evans hastily prepared some light luggage for 
Eugenie, who, when asked what she wanted, could 
only repeat : " Handkerchiefs, plenty of handkerchiefs ! 
Handkerchiefs above all ! " 

Meantime Dr. Evans had discovered that a private 
yacht, the " Gazelle," belonging to Lord Burgoyne, was 
then in port. He visited the owner, and in a private 
interview succeeded in enlisting his sympathies in behalf 
of the fugitive Empress. The English nobleman not 

388 



Eugenie 



only promised to receive the party on board his yacht, 
but to land them in England, bargaining however that 
they should not arrive until midnight, so as to avoid 
detection. 

At twelve, therefore, a gentleman and two ladies quietly 
boarded the " Gazelle," and one of the latter, stepping up 
to Lord Burgoyne, addressed him in his own language, 
saying : " I believe you are the English gentleman who 
will take me to England. I am the Empress." At this 
title, which offered such a contrast to her position, she 
could not restrain her tears, and Lord Burgoyne led her 
weeping to his wife, who did all she could for the cojn- 
fort of her unhappy guest. 

Such a storm had arisen that evening that Lord Bur- 
goyne felt it was unsafe to venture out to sea; but as, on 
the other hand, he dared not remain in port lest Eugenie 
should be in danger, he took his crew into his confidence 
and asked their advice. The sailors, one and all, voted 
for an immediate departure, declaring themselves ready 
and willing to risk their lives for his distinguished passen- 
ger. So the boat put out to sea, where it encountered a 
storm of such violence that an iron-clad sank that very 
night. The " Gazelle " was tossed about like a cork, and 
in such imminent peril that Lord Burgoyne once lost 
courage, and bitterly reproached Dr. Evans for urging 
them to face a storm in which it was inevitable they 
should all perish. 

Even in the midst of the greatest danger, Eugenie 
showed no signs of fear ; but the pitching and tossing 
wearied her so greatly that she was doubly glad when 
they were finally set ashore at Ryde Beach early the 
next morning. While Dr. Evans was knocking in vain 
at various hotels, seeking admission. Lord Burgoyne 
telegraphed to Lord Grandville that he had just landed 

389 



Empresses of France 

the Empress on the English coast. This telegram 
amazed the minister, who immediately bade the fugitive 
Empress welcome, but intimated his disbelief of the 
news by wiring to Lord Burgoyne : " Don't you think 
you may have been imposed upon ? " 

The Empress, according to different authorities, learned 
either on the yacht, or as she landed, that her son had 
reached England in safety. In fact, immediately after 
the Sedan catastrophe, his tutor had hurried him into a 
train, and, without his knowledge or consent, had carried 
him off to Belgium, with his attendants and about fifty 
of the Imperial Guards. From thence he sent the char- 
acteristic telegram : " We are going straight on to 
Belgium." (Signed) Filon. [" Filons sur la Belgique." 
(Signed) Filon.] 

But this despatch reached the Tuileries only after 
Eugenie had gone, and her anxiety was thus greatly pro- 
longed. Learning that her son had arrived at Hastings, 
she now proceeded thither, where friends soon rallied 
around her. It was while there that she tearfully read a 
description of the invasion of the Tuileries, and repeatedly 
exclaimed : " Poor Trochu ! Poor Trochu ! " 

When asked why she was thus commiserating the re- 
creant Governor of Paris, she innocently answered : 
" Why, he has often told me, •■ Madame, no assailant shall 
ever enter the Tuileries save over my dead body.' He 
must therefore be dead. Poor Trochu ! " In fact, it never 
once occurred to Eugenie that any one could prove faith- 
less, or that Trochu, who had pretended such devotion, 
could desert her to retain his position. But he and 
many others, nevertheless, felt kindly toward Eugenie, 
and showed their sympathy by collecting and forward- 
ing her private property. 

Meantime, although some French papers claimed that 
390 



Eugenie 

the Empress had carried ofF a large fortune, and that she 
and the Emperor had invested immense sums abroad 
during the past years, the fact was, as we have seen, that 
Eugenie left the Tuileries absolutely penniless, and had 
to sell some of the diamonds she had entrusted to her 
mother's keeping to defray her own and her son's ex- 
penses in England. Although several of the friends 
who had not been allowed to accompany her when she 
fled from the Tuileries soon joined her in England, they 
were nearly as poor as she, and could not therefore do 
much to help her. But Queen Victoria, who had always 
been her personal friend, bade her a kindly welcome, and 
offered her every assistance, and King William of Prussia 
courteously invited her and her son to share the Em- 
peror's quarters at Wilhelmshohe. Eugenie gratefully 
acknowledged all Queen Victoria's friendly offers of 
assistance ; but she declined King William's offer, saying 
it was impossible she or her son should accept the hos- 
pitality of France's bitterest enemy. 

As there seemed no immediate prospect of a return to 
France, and as her means would not permit her living in 
a hotel with her suite, Eugenie began to look around her 
for a suitable abode. Strange to relate, already some 
time before, an eccentric Englishman had improved his 
estate of Chiselhurst to serve as a home for the Imperial 
family, saying : " I am convinced that the Emperor 
Napoleon III., in spite of all appearances to the con- 
trary, will be dethroned some day, or will grow weary 
of reigning over France. Then he will come to Eng- 
land and live here ! " 

His peculiar premonition came true, for the Empress 
leased Chiselhurst for a certain number of years, settling 
there with her son, whose education was diligently pur- 
sued under her immediate supervision. At first, the 

391 



Empresses of France 

Germans showed a desire to treat with the Empress as 
Regent, but she wisely refused to have anything more to 
do with politics, referring all emissaries to the new gov- 
ernment established in France. Still, she did not despair 
of returning to Paris, when these troubles were over; for 
many Bonapartists longed for the restoration of the 
Empire, and Rouher, the head of the party, was work- 
ing as actively as he could to negotiate the return of 
Napoleon IV., in case the people refused to receive 
Napoleon III. 

Eugenie kept informed of all that was going on, and 
once, at least, in the course of the winter, journeyed 
incognita to Wilhelmshohe to see how her husband was 
bearing his captivity, and to consult him regarding the 
course she had best pursue. She found him beguiling 
the time in study, as usual, and much happier — as far 
as he was personally concerned — dreaming among his 
books, than when governing a restive people. Although 
still ill, he suffered less than when he departed for the 
war, and on the whole found his seven months of cap- 
tivity at Wilhelmshohe quite endurable. Still he was 
very glad when the treaty was finally signed, and he was 
free to join his wife and son in England. There they 
talked of the frightful siege of Paris, and of the still more 
terrible Commune, which had reduced to an unsightly 
heap of ruins the Tuileries, St. Cloud, and many other 
public buildings which had once been the ornament and 
pride of the city. 

The new Republic was at first very insecure, and it 
often seemed as if the government which had risen so 
suddenly would collapse utterly, thus enabling the Imperial 
family to return. Rouher fully believed the change 
must soon come, so he was constantly journeying across 
the Channel to confer with the Emperor at Chiselhurst. 

392 



Eugenie 

As the Prince Imperial could not be educated at a 
military school in France, as he wished, Queen Victoria 
granted him permission to enter Woolwich in 1872, and 
even offered to have him admitted without undergoing 
preliminary examination. But the Prince Imperial re- 
fused to enter by favour, and insisted upon sharing the 
examination and duties of his comrades, with whom he 
became a great favourite, although he was already graver 
and more silent than most lads of his own age. In 
spite of the drawbacks of a change of country, methods, 
and language, the Prince stood well in his studies, and 
by dint of hard work and perseverance ranked at gradua- 
tion among the best students in his class. 

Meantime, the Emperor's health had not improved, 
and his physicians constantly urged a new operation. 
But he had a horror of surgical treatment, and deferred 
submitting to it until it seemed as if he might soon be 
recalled to France. Knowing he would require all his 
former strength and activity in such a contingency, he 
yielded at last to the doctors' advice and to Eugenie's 
pleading, and again submitted to the surgeon's knife. 
Although the operation was not unusual, or very dan- 
gerous, and although it passed off successfully, he never 
rallied from the shock, but passed away on the 9th of 
January, 1873. The physicians so little expected this 
denouement, however, that it was only a short time 
before his death that they realised his danger, called the 
Empress, and telegraphed for the Prince. 

Eugenie hurried to her husband's bedside at the very 
first summons, and as soon as he saw her he smiled and 
spoke kindly to her. Then the last sacrament was hur- 
riedly administered before he sank into a semi-conscious 
state. But his mind must have been haunted by the hor- 
rors of the recent war, for when his old friend, Dr. 

393 



Empresses of France 

Conneau, once bent over him, he suddenly opened his 
eyes, and asked, painfully : " Were you at Sedan ? " 

Those were Napoleon III.'s last words. Soon after 
he became speechless, but even then he knew Eugenie, 
and he was making a last mute effort to kiss her when 
he suddenly passed away. The end came so quickly, 
that when the Prince reached Chiselhurst it was already 
too late. The poor boy was met at the door by his 
weeping mother, who informed him of their mutual loss 
by clasping him close to her heart with the mournful 
cry : " I have only you, Louis, left ! " 

Eugenie was so prostrated by grief that she could not 
attend her husband's funeral, but ten thousand loyal 
Frenchmen crossed the Channel to follow him to the 
grave, and offer condolences to his son, who acted as 
chief mourner. But when they would fain have greeted 
the Prince Imperial as Napoleon IV., and raised the 
familiar cry : " Long live the Emperor ! " he gently 
checked them, saying feelingly : " Your Emperor is 
dead ! " 

The Prince Imperial returned to Woolwich to pursue 
his studies after reading his father's will, wherein he 
found this significant phrase : " Power is a heavy burden, 
because one cannot always do the good one wishes, and 
because one's contemporaries seldom do one justice." 
Indeed, even yet, the French scarcely do the Emperor 
justice, for in spite of all the harm he undoubtedly did, 
he nevertheless did a great deal of good, too, and one of 
his lasting claims to the gratitude of his country, as well 
as of the world, is the improvement and embellishment 
of the capital, which, owing to his efforts, became the 
finest city on the globe. 

Bowed down with grief at the loss of her husband 
whom she loved devotedly in spite of all his faults and 

394 




Eugenie, 1872. 



Eugenie 

shortcomings, Eugenie, although mourning for him 
loyally, concentrated all her affections upon her son. 
The Prince spent all his holidays with her while at 
Woolwich, and journeyed with her to Switzerland, 
where they passed part of the summer months in the 
castle of Arenenberg, where Napoleon III, had once 
lived with Queen Hartense. 

On the Prince Imperial's eighteenth birthday, six 
thousand faithful Frenchmen journeyed to Chiselhurst 
to congratulate him upon attaining his majority, and to 
hail him once more as Napoleon IV. But the young 
Prince firmly declared he would never accept such a 
title, unless it were conferred upon him by a majority of 
the French nation, and vowed that should he ever be 
called to rule in France, he would be true to the Bona- 
partist motto and " Govern for the people and by the 
people." 

Too old to be content at home doing nothing, and too 
young to wander the world at will, the young Prince, 
who was of an active, ambitious nature, was restless and 
discontented. Like most mothers, Eugenie could not 
realise that her boy was growing up, and she watched 
over him as closely as if he were still a child, allowing 
him little freedom and less money. She had practised 
the most rigid economy ever since the Emperor's death, 
but merely to further the prospects of this only son, and, 
fearing to spoil him by too much indulgence, she is said 
to have treated him with needless severity. 

The Bonapartists, meanwhile, made frequent pilgrim- 
ages to Chiselhurst, where they never failed to appear 
with gifts and addresses on " Napoleon Day," as well 
as on Eugenie's and the Prince's birthdays. They dili- 
gently fed the Empress' hopes of seeing this beloved son 
seated once more on the throne of his father, and, 

395 



Empresses of France 

dreaming of the future, Eugenie apparently forgot that 
young people live mostly in the present. Neither did 
she realise that the quiet life beside her could be irksome 
to her son, who was as visionary and ambitious as his 
namesake who died at Schonbrunn, and whose life had 
so many points of resemblance with his own. 

Although we are told the Prince Imperial would fain 
have travelled extensively, Eugenie, either because she 
could not bear to lose sight of him, or because she 
deemed it best for his future prospects to remain near 
France, would not allow him to wander far afield. But 
what the Prince longed most to do was to enter the 
army, and his exile seemed most bitter because it de- 
prived him of the privilege of fighting for his country. 
He was too patriotic, however, to serve under any other 
flag, and was, therefore, constantly consumed by longings 
which could not be fulfilled. 

Hoping to divert and occupy him, as well as to secure 
aid and heirs for the future, Eugenie tried to secure a 
wife for him, and with that purpose in view sounded the 
oldest dynasties in Europe where there were marriage- 
able princesses. Her efforts failed, but the Prince, com- 
ing in contact with Princess Beatrice, the young people 
were mutually attracted. Now, whereas such an alliance 
would have filled Eugenie's heart with joy. Queen 
Victoria refused to sanction it, for she realised that a 
marriage with a Bonaparte offered small guarantee of 
a stable and peaceful future, and she wished, above all, to 
secure her child's happiness. 

This disappointment only added to the Prince's rest- 
lessness, which culminated in 1879, when his classmates 
prepared to leave for the Zulu war. 

The leaders of the Bonapartist party had frequently 
declared that some experience in actual warfare would 

396 



Eugenie 



be of untold advantage to the Prince Imperial in the 
future, and that, were he only able to win glory, his 
political prospects would immediately brighten. This 
knowledge, and the fact that he felt he owed a debt 
of gratitude to England, which he was generously 
anxious to repay, made Louis Napoleon apply, without 
his mother's knowledge, for permission to serve in the 
English army. Although reluctant to accept the ser- 
vices of " the only son of his mother, and she a widow," 
Victoria could not refuse this generous offer, provided 
Eugenie consented to let the Prince go. 

Pathetically anxious to further her son's happiness, 
Eugenie consented, although the thought of exposing 
him to the dangers of an unhealthful climate and the 
horrors of savage warfare wrung her maternal heart. 
Still she showed no weakness, and with the resolution 
of a Spartan mother bade him go to war. When it 
became known that the Prince Imperial was going to 
Africa, many young Frenchmen volunteered to accom- 
pany him, and forty of them wished to form a body- 
guard pledged to watch over his safety. But Eugenie 
refused this offer, declaring bravely : " No, no one shall 
accompany my son. He has assumed the garb of a 
soldier, so he must do as other soldiers do. He must 
go forth to the field of battle mingling with the rank 
and file, protected as they are and no more." 

Thus Louis Napoleon sailed for Africa ; but although 
his mother wished him to share all his comrades' duties 
and perils. Queen Victoria sent secret orders not to 
expose him unnecessarily, for she was still Eugenie's 
faithful friend, and felt very sorry for the mother whose 
only child was going so far away. Notwithstanding her 
orders, the Prince was once allowed to join a topographi- 
cal excursion, which, by some fatal oversight, started out 

397 



Empresses of France 

without a native escort. The young soldiers set out 
gaily, for the country seemed quite deserted, and after 
riding several miles and completing their maps, they dis- 
mounted to eat their dinner in an abandoned native hut. 
Carelessly secure, they neglected even ordinary precau- 
tions, and having placed neither sentinels nor outposts, 
rushed wildly for their horses when a band of natives 
sprang upon them from an ambush. The blood-curd- 
ling cries and uplifted spears of the attacking party, 
terrified their horses, which reared and plunged so madly 
that the young cavalrymen had considerable difficulty in 
mounting them. 

In the confusion each thought only of himself, and 
only one of the number turned his head for a moment 
to ascertain what became of the rest. He saw the 
Prince, running beside his horse, — a spirited grey, — 
which, maddened by the savages' cries, would not allow 
him to mount. In a last desperate effort to reach his 
saddle, Louis Napoleon rested all his weight upon a strap, 
which, being of inferior quality instead of good leather, 
suddenly gave way and sent him sprawling in the dust, 
while his steed galloped away after the rest. 

Alone and dismounted, pursued by a horde of blood- 
thirsty savages, the Prince sprang to his feet, and, run- 
ning like a deer, gained a rocky glen where, placing his 
back against a boulder he faced his foes, determined to 
sell his life dearly. There he died, " fighting like a 
lion," as his slayers subsequently bore witness. When 
his fleeing comrades finally rallied and rode back in quest 
of him, they found him dead at the foot of a big rock, 
his body stripped and covered with wounds, all of which 
were in front, showing that he had died like a hero. A 
surgeon, examining the body later, declared that the 
Prince had been killed instantly, for one of the spears 

398 



Eugenie 



had entered his eye and pierced his brain. It was thus 
that Louis Napoleon, the Prince Imperial, or, as he is 
sometimes called, Napoleon IV., died at Itelezi, on the 
1st of June, 1879. 

The sad news was, of course, immediately cabled to 
the English government, whence it was communicated 
to the aged Duke of Bassano, who had followed his 
master's fortunes, and always showed the utmost devo- 
tion to the Empress Eugenie. He was simply overcome 
with grief, and when informed that he must break the 
tidings to the Empress, he despairingly cried : " My lips 
will never be able to utter such words as those ! " 

While he and her other friends were consulting how 
best to prepare her to bear this awful blow, Eugenie, 
from whom the papers had purposely been withheld, 
received by mistake a private letter which roused her 
suspicions. She rose hastily to inquire what it might 
mean, and as she passed out of the room apprehensively 
cried : " Some misfortune has happened to my son ! " 
On the threshold she met the Duke of Bassano, nerving 
himself for the awful ordeal, and, noting his attitude, 
clutched at her heart and eagerly cried : " You have 
news from Zululand ! " 

" Yes, Madame, and it is not good ! " gently answered 
her old and trusty friend. Eugenie started; but brave as 
ever, and ready for action, she controlled herself as best 
she could, and said with forced calmness : " Louis is ill ! 
Well, my dear Duke, we will start immediately and go 
and nurse him." 

She was turning to give orders for hasty preparations, 
when the Duke detained her, saying : " There has been 
a fight." 

" A fight ! Then he is wounded ? " cried Eugenie, 
who this time received only a bow in answer, for the 

399 



Empresses of France 

aged courtier could not speak. The mother, unable to 
harbour the thought that her boy was dead, and still 
intent upon reaching him as soon as possible, now went 
on : " We can start to-day. We will surely find at 
London some vessel to take us to Suez. There, we 
will see what to do next. There are vessels leaving 
every day." She called her women, and gave them a few 
orders ; but as the Duke remained immovable beside her, 
instead of bestirring himself in preparing for the journey, 
she gazed questioningly at him, until he answered her 
mute appeal by the trembling statement : " The wound 
is dangerous." 

Eugenie now drew nearer, and, perceiving his tears 
and grief-stricken face, suddenly understood the full 
meaning of the news he was trying to impart. With a 
heart-rending cry, the poor mother fell to the floor in a 
deep swoon. Throughout that day she sank from one 
fainting fit into another, until her sorrowing attendants 
almost hoped she would be spared further suff^ering, and 
allowed to follow her beloved son. This was not to be, 
however ; and Eugenie, on coming to her senses once 
more, bitterly cried : " I shall not even be able to die, 
and a merciful God will give me a hundred years of 
life ! " 

It was days before the unfortunate Empress could shed 
a single tear, but when the flood-gates of her sorrow 
opened at last they could not again be closed. 

The news of her loss created widespread sorrow, 
and every one heartily pitied the widowed mother, who 
had lost all she had. Tokens of sympathy reached her 
from all parts of the world, although the Bonapartists — 
who had never even contemplated such a contingency 
— were fairly stunned with grief. In fact, when the 
news reached Rouher, the leader of the Imperial party, 

400 . 



Eugenie 



it proved such an awful shock that he, too, fainted. But 
when he recovered from his first emotion, he immediately 
set out for Chiselhurst, to mingle his tears with 
Eugenie's, and bear her the condolences of all his 
party, in whose name he made the following touching 
address : — 

" Madame, we lay our deep, inexpressible sorrow at 
the feet of your Majesty, for the cruel blow which has 
fallen upon you strikes France in her dearest memories, 
as well as in her highest expectations. It has been the 
will of God that the young Prince should not be spared 
to your tenderness, to the service of France, and to our 
sincere devotion, for death has snatched him away at the 
very moment when we had the right to look for his 
speedy return to France. We will not compare our 
grief to yours, boundless as it is ; but we only beg your 
Majesty to accept the testimony of our feelings, which 
are shared by the whole of France." 

Rouher was right; all France did mourn for the 
Prince, for he had been greatly loved by all the people, 
who had seen him grow up from babyhood in their 
midst, and the Bonapartists hoped that popular affection 
for the child, would in time prove a powerful factor in 
restoring the man to the Imperial throne. These hopes, 
however, were blasted forever, and all felt that the Bona- 
partist cause could hardly rally from such a blow, for the 
next of kin, according to the laws of Napoleonic succes- 
sion, was Prince Napoleon, whose character inspired no 
respect, and who enjoyed little popularity in France. 

When Eugenie, who had lightened her Widow's mourn- 
ing a little to please her son, first donned the garb she 
intended to wear as long as she lived, she showed how 
conscious she felt that her life was ended, and that noth- 
ing but patient endurance on earth and hope of reunion 
VOL. I. — 26 401 



Empresses of France 

in heaven now remained to her. The poor woman was 
indeed very lonely, for all her near relatives were dead, 
excepting her mother, who was then so ill that she could 
not even be told of her grandson's death, or help her 
daughter bear her great affliction. 

The Prince's body was, of course, sent home to his 
mother, who was not allowed to see it on account of the 
disfiguration caused by his ghastly wounds. When the 
coffin reached Chiselhurst, the unhappy Empress again 
fainted, but knelt beside it night and day, praying and 
weeping, finding a strange comfort in being near the 
remains of her son. 

On the 1 2th of July, 1879, there was a grand public 
funeral from Chiselhurst, more than a hundred thousand 
Frenchmen having come over to escort the Prince Im- 
perial to the grave. The French were not the only 
people present, however, for other mourners came in 
shoals from all parts of the country, until it is estimated 
that no less than one million persons marched in the 
funeral procession, which Eugenie beheld from her dark- 
ened window. Representatives of all the reigning fam- 
ilies were present to show their sympathy and respect, 
and Queen Victoria and Princess Beatrice came in per- 
son to mingle their tears with Eugenie's. The funeral 
services were so impressive, and the thought of the 
stricken mother so infinitely pathetic, that Christine 
Nilsson, who had offered to sing, burst into tears instead, 
and all the spectators broke down and sobbed with her. 

Since then, Eugenie's life has been one long period of 
patient endurance and great suffering. She has been 
almost a recluse, but when at home almost daily visits 
the place where her son's and husband's coffins lie side 
by side in Farnborough Church. There they are to 
remain until the mausoleum which Eugenie is building is 

402 



Eugenie 

completed, or until the last will of both father and son 
can be executed, and their bodies laid in the Invalides be- 
side the founder of their dynasty, on the banks of the 
Seine, which they, too, loved with undying affection. 
On the two coffins violets are generally seen, for Eugenie 
always strews these Napoleonic emblems over the palls. 
Then, after spending some time alone with her dead, 
lost in fervent prayer, — her only refuge, — she goes 
slowly back to her lonely dwelling. 

The year after the Prince Imperial's death, the Em- 
press made a pious pilgrimage to Zululand, to visit the 
place where he had died, and to collect, if possible, de- 
tails concerning his tragic end. The Duke of Bassano, 
being too old and ill to accompany her on this journey, 
his son, who is equally devoted to the Empress, served 
as her escort, and he bears witness that the stricken 
mother almost died of anguish on the very spot where 
her son fell fighting so bravely. 

Since then Eugenie has taken no long journeys. But 
she often goes to Windsor to see Queen Victoria, who 
is still her faithful friend, her visits there being strictly 
private, for, in spite of all persuasions, the Empress has 
never appeared in public since her son's death. Husband 
and son being both gone, there was no reason why 
Eugenie should not return to France if she wished ; but 
although she would otherwise gladly do so, she cannot 
tear herself away from England as long as the remains 
of those she loved are there. 

From time to time, however, she revisits the places 
where she was once admired by all, and she has been 
seen and recognised at various times in Paris and at 
Fontainebleau, standing as a mere tourist in the rooms 
she once occupied as sovereign lady. When the crown 
jewels were exhibited, previous to being sold at auction, 

403 



Empresses of France 

she also came incognita to gaze with tear-dimmed eyes 
upon the glittering stones which were associated with 
so many brilliant memories. 

When the Empress visits Paris, she lodges in her 
own house near her former palace, for, as she herself 
stated, soon after her son's death : " I feel myself drawn 
to the spot where the Tuileries stood, as moths are 
attracted by the light." As Eugenie is no longer " dan- 
gerous," according to political standards, she is allowed 
to wander at will in the capital, where she muses over 
the sad changes in her fortune, and recalls memories, 
which by contrast, make the present seem desolate 
indeed. 

In these mournful pilgrimages, Eugenie has generally 
been accompanied by Mademoiselle Lebreton, the lady 
who fled with her from the Tuileries, and who has since 
then proved her constant and ever-faithful companion. 
We are told that poor Eugenie has wept so many bitter 
tears that the eyes, about which every one raved, are now 
dim and almost sightless. Her beautiful Titian hair is 
as white as snow, and her once erect and graceful form 
is bent and bowed by acute attacks of rheumatism. She 
and her companion have visited sundry bathing resorts 
in quest of relief for the tortures she endures from this 
disease, but all in vain, and the fact that she suffers so 
much, makes her seem far older than her actual years, 
although she has now passed the allotted three score 
and ten. 

In 1888, the Empress was forced to leave Chiselhurst, 
with all its happy and painful memories, and seek an- 
other abode, for the owner wished to occupy his own 
house. Eugenie, therefore, removed to a place in Farn- 
borough, where she has since lived in comparative seclu- 
sion, although far from forgotten. Devoted friends live 

404 



Eugenie 



with her there ; others visit her frequently and write to 
her often ; and on birthdays and anniversaries loving 
and sympathetic tokens and messages pour in from all 
sides, proving that she still has a place in the hearts and 
memories of those who knew her. 

Faithful Bonapartists still make occasional pilgrimages 
to Eugenie's home, or to the tomb of her beloved dead, 
where they speak with bated breath of the woman from 
whom they can no longer expect riches or honours, the 
woman whom they remember as a queen of beauty, amid 
scenes of fairy-like splendour, but who has won the 
world's respect because she nobly bears her " crown of 
sorrow." 



405 



INDEX OF PRINCIPAL NAMES 



A. 

Aboukir, 40, 46. 

Abrantes, see Junot. 

Abrantes, Mme. d', 62-63, 138, 187. 

Aigle, 36S, 369. 

Aiglon, 1', 23Q, see King of Rome. 

Aix-la-Chapelle, 81, 127, 193. 

Aix-les-Bains, or Aix in Savoy, 127, 

131, 132, 216, 217, 218, 219, 331. 
Ajaccio, 333, 365. 
Albert, Prince, 284, 2S5, 286, 287, 289, 

290, 2gi, 292, 293, 307. 
Alexander, Emperor of Russia, iii, 

136, 137, 138, 213. 
Algeria, 336, 365. 
Allied Powers, or Allies, 205, 207, 

209, 213, 221-226, 229, 230, 237, 

241. 
Alma, 285. 
Alva, 254, 255, 328, 333)334,335. 336, 

338. 
Amiens, 61, 72, 281, 337. 
Annecy, 331. 

Antomarchi, Dr., 236, 237. 
Apollo, Gallery of, 85, 159, 270, 277. 
Arc de Triomphe, 160, 279, 289. 
Archbishop of Paris, 271, 272, 323, 

324- 

Arcis-sur-Aube, 200. 

Areola, 23, 24, 25. 

Arenenberg, 395. 

Aries, 332. 

Aubert, 270, 304, 360. 

Augereau, 28. 

Augusta, Princess, 97, 98. 

Augustine Church, 150. 

Aumale, Due d', 256. 

Auray, 316. 

Austerlitz, 97, 98, 168, 195. 

Austria, 25, 28, 29, 145, 146, 148, 
169, 175, 181, 182, 192, 194, 195, 
ig5, 197, 207, 213, 214, 215, 216, 
218, 225, 227, 229, 230, 240, 244, 
246, 316, 320, 368, 372, 378. 

Austrian and Austrians, 21, 22, 23, 28, 
29, 3°, 52, I", 124, 135, 145, 146, 



147, 148, 149, 150-154, 166, 181, 
185, 195, 198, 199, 201, 206, 216, 
220, 227, 237, 240, 241, 315, 316, 

340, 341, 343, 384- 
Avignon, 332. 

B. 

Bacchiocchi, 261. 

Baden, 82, 96, 97, 98, 99, 328. 

Badinguet, 382. 

Balaklava, 285. 

Barras, 10, 11, 12, 13, 26, 28, 31, 34, 

36. 
Bassano, Duke of, 347, 399-403. 
Bastille, 27, 80. 
Bautzen, 132, 192. 
Bavaria, 97, 151, 307. 
Bayonne, no. 
Bazaine, 376. 

Beatrice, Princess, 396, 402. 
Beauharnais, family, 31, 82, 99, 106. 
Beauharnais, Viscount, 2,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 

8, II, 12. 
Behle, 253. 

Belgium, 284, 363, 390. 
Benedetti, 373. 
Berlin, 373. 
Berlioz, 360, 
Bernadotte, 217, 348. 
Bernard, St., Mt., 52. 
Bernhardt, Sarah, 230. 
Berthier, 85. 
Bertrand, General, 236. 
Berwick, see Alva. 
Biarritz, 275, 283, 284, 289, 303, 304, 

308, 309, 316, 325, 348, 350, 356, 

357, 360, 364. 
Biscay, Bay of, 283. 
Bismarck, 304, 356, 357. 
Bizet, 253. 
Black Cardinals, 161. 
Blanchard, Mme., 174. 
Blois, 204, 205, 208, 380, 
Bois de Boulogne, 158, 289, 290, 338. 
Bombelles, Charles de, 247, 248. 



407 



Index of Principal Names 



Bonaparte family, 138, 237, 241, 252, 

265, 329, 360, 396. 
Bonaparte, Jerome, 78, 79, 86, 94, 106, 

117, 212, 269, 329. 
Bonaparte, Joseph, 16, 19, 26, 31, 39, 

41, 44, -J?), 86, 87, no, 196, 197, 198, 

199, 201, 207, 208, 209. 
Bonaparte, Louis, 26, 31, 41, 59, 60, 

64, 65, 78, 87, 99, 105, 117, 133, 196, 

200, 207, 208, 209. 

Bonaparte, Lucien, 41, 44, 78, 86, 109. 
Bonaparte, Mme. Lsetitia, 26, 37, 44, 

78, 87, 93, 117, 159, 207, 208, 237, 

246, 333- 
Bordeaux, no, 304. 
Borghese, 73, 74. 
Borodino, 184. 
Bosquet, 297. 

Boulogne, 72, 280, 284, 289. 
Bourbon, 48, 51, 55, 137, 140, 205,232, 

234, 240, 241, 274. 
Bourget, Lake, 127. 
Bourrienne, 47, 48, 51, 59. 
Braunau, 151, 152, 153, 154, 156. 
Brera, 94. 
Brescia, 22. 
Brest, 2. 

Brienne, 61, 94, 134. 
Brittany, 315. 
Brumaire, 43, 44, 159. 
Brune, 40. 

Brussels, 73, 74, 178. 
Burgoyne, Lord and Lady, 388-390. 
Burgundy, 330. 



Cadoudal, 75. 

Caesar, 259, 318. 

Cairo, 368. 

Calais, 81, 280, 283. 

Calmelet, 13. 

Cambac^res, 46, 79, 88, in, 112, 115, 

117, 119, 147, i59i 192, 197, 201. 
Camerata, 241, 267. 
Campan, Mme., 20, 33, 34, 36. 
Campo Formio, 30, 31, 47. 
Canova, 95. 
Canrobert, 283, 297. 
Capuchin Church, 247, 248. 
Carbonari, 311. 
Carlotta, 359, 360. 
Carlsbad, 183. 
Carmelite Convent, 6-9. 
Carmen, 253. 
Caroline Bonaparte, 26, 46, 54, 55, 56, 

60, 91, "7, 152, 153) I54» 157- 
Carrousel, 87. 



Cassagnac, 272, 275. 

Castellier, 140. 

Castiglione, 22. 

Catherine, 30. 

Caulaincourt, 205, 210, 2ii, 212. 

Cauterets, 105, 106. 

Cavour, 293, 314. 

Cayla, Countess du, 141. 

Cenis, Mt., 52, 94. 

Cent Gardes, see Imperial Guards. 

Chtlons, 308, 309, 316, 329, 330, 331, 

348, 365- 
Chambgry, 331, 332. 
Chamounix, 128, 332. 
Champ de Mai, 142, 227. 
Champ de Mars, 17, 53, 91, 176, 292, 

294. 
Champs Elysees, 160, 279, 288, 289. 
Channel, English, 388, 389, 394. 
Chantereine, rue, 10, 12, 14, 15, 36. 
Charlemagne, 81. 
Chailes X., 300, 316. 
Chartres, 204. 
Cherasco, 16. 
Cherbourg, 193, 315. 
Child of France, 296. 
Child of Miracle, 234. 
Chiselhurst, 392-395, 401, 402, 404. 
Cipriano, Don, 251. 
City Hall, see H6tel-de-Ville. 
Clement XIII., 95. 
Clothilde, Princess, 315.316,317,323. 

327- 
Cobentzel, 28. 
Code, Napoleonic, 58. 
Cologne, 81, 179, 193. 
Committee of Satfety, 6. 
Commune, 392. 
Compifegne, 126, 155, 156, 158, 164, 

165, 190, 258, 261, 262, 281, 282, 

299, 304, 310, 316, 325, 328, 336, 

348, 357, 360. 
Conciergerie, 7, 8, 291. 
Concordat, 59, 63, 190, 191. 
Congress of Chatillon, 199. 
Congress of Vienna, 220-224, 227, 230. 
Conneau, Dr. and son, 338, 394. 
Constant, 128, 153. 
Constantine, 305. 
Consular Guard, 53. 
Consulate, 43, 44, 46. 
Convention, 11. 
Cordovas, 251. 
Corona, 25. 

Coronation of Josephine, 82-93. 
Coronation of Napoleon L, 82-93, 168. 
Corsica, 12, 333, 365. 
Corvisard, Dr., 142, 213, 216 



408 



Index of Principal Names 



Council of State, 264. 

Coup d'etat, 258, 367. 

Courcelles, 155. 

Courtine de Malakoff, 320. 

Cossacks, 134. 

Cowley, Lord, 239. 

Crimea and War, 282-288, 293, 294. 

Crown Prince and Princess, 361, 368, 

Czar, 105, III, 137, 138, 140, 146, 147, 
181, 182, 213, 227, 361, see Alexan- 
der and Nicholas. 

D. 

David, 33, 92. 

Deauville, 388. 

De Bausset, 207, 208, 219. 

Demidoff, 260. 

Desaix, 94. 

Diana, Gallery of, 50. 

Dieppe, 280. 

Dijon, 52, 330. 

Directors and Directory, 13, 23, 24, 26, 

28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 38, 40, 42, 43, 44, 

46. 
Divorce of Josephine, 114-121. 
Dor6, 360. 

Dresden, 132, 181, 182, 185, 193, 217. 
Dubois, Dr., 172. 
Dumas, 360. 
Dunkirk, 72, 81, 280. 

E. 

Eagle, see Napoleon I. 
Eaglet, see King of Rome. 
Eaux Bonnes, 289, 329, 330, 348. 
Eckmiihl, 145. 

Egypt, 34-38, 42, 368. 

Elba, Island of, 103, 134, 135, 136, 

138, 139) 209, 213, 214, 218, 219, 

222, 237, 252. 
Eliza Bonaparte, 26, 54, 95. 
Elizabeth, Mme., 46, 273. 
Elssler, Fanny, 244. 
Elysee, Palace, 112, 125, 128, 191, 228, 

229, 258, 263, 267, 268, 270, 299. 
Emperor of Russia, see Czar. 
Enghein, Duke of, 75-77, 80. 
England, 57, 61, 64, 71, 206, 230, 235, 

257, 282, 283, 284, 285, 286, 287, 

29^ 293, 294, 311, 314, 315, 327, 

337, 378, 389, 390, 391, 392, 397, 

403- 
Enghsh, 35, 37, 40, 52, 61, 64, 213, 

222, 239, 260, 283, 284, 285, 286, 

287, 289, 291, 315, 361, 370, 388, 

389, 397, 399- 



Erfurth, no, in. 

Etruria, King and Queen of, 58. 

Eugene de Beauharnais, 3, 4, 6, 7, 11, 
12, 31, 33, 38, 39, 40, 41, 53, 68, 88, 
95, 97, 98, 104, 116, 117, 119, 120, 
121, 125, 127, 130, 131, 132, 135, 

137, 138, 139, 140, 146, 159, 160, 
217, 233. 
Eugenie, 250-405 ; birth of, 250; par- 
entage of, 250; childhood of, 251, 
252 ; education of, 253; orphan, 254 ; 
girlhood of, 255; at Spanish court, 
256; at watering-places, 257; first 
sees Napoleon, 257, 258; at Com- 
pifegne, 259 ; courtship of, 259-263 ; 
anecdotes of, 261-263 ; proposal for, 
263 ; marriage announced, 264-266 ; 
engagement of, 266-269 ; at Elysee, 
268 ; wedding gifts of, 268, 269 ; 
civil marriage of, 269, 270 ; religi- 
ous marriage of, 270-272 ; honey- 
moon of, 272 ; favour asked by, 273 ; 
visits St. Denis, 274; and Mirimee, 
275 ; court life of, 276, 277 ; apart- 
ments of, 27S, 279; detectives guard, 
280; at Compifegne, 281, 282; ex- 
penditure of, 2S2 ; sojourn at Biar- 
ritz, 283 ; reputed pregnant, 284, 
291; visits Victoria, 2S5-287, 307; 
returns to Paris, 287 ; at Te Deum, 
288 ; at Exposition, 289; receives 
Victoria, 289-293 ; at balls, 291, 
292 ; welcomes Crimean army, 294 ; 
a mother, 294-297 ; charity of, 298 ; 
goes to St. Cloud, 300 ; at baptism 
of son, 300 ; letter to, 301 ; trials 
of, 302 ; straightforwardness of, 303 ; 
guests of, 304 ; reception of, 305 ; at 
masked balls, 306 ; opens Louvre, 
308 ; at Chalons, 309 ; birthday of, 
310; and Orsini attempt, 311-313; 
at Fontainebleau, 314, 317 ; at Cher- 
bourg, 315; at Rheims, 316 ; with 
Princess Clothilde, 318; balls of , 3 1 9 ; 
Regent, 320-324; at Notre Dame, 
324 ; welcomes husband, 324 ; wel- 
comes Italian army, 325 ; interest in 
State affairs, 326, 327 ; atLyons, 328 ; 
in Pyrenees, 329 ; fearlessness of, 
330 ; tour in southeast, 330-332 ; 
visit to Corsica, 333 ; visit to Algeria, 
333,334; loses sister, 334, 335 ; sor- 
rows of, 336, 337 ; and son, 337-339:' 
and Princess Metternich, 341-343 ; 
skating, 344; at Invalides, 345, 346 ; 
with Siamese embassy, 346-348 ; 
visit to Spain, 349, 350; gems of, 
350 ; apparel of, 351-353 ; nurses 



409 



Index of Principal Names 



son, 353 ; with Imperial Guard, 354; 
works for child prisoners, 355 ; visits 
fallen women, 356 ; in cholera epi- 
demics, 357, 358; bigotry of, 358; 
and Carlotta, 359, 360 ; guests of, 
362 ; Rochefort slanders, 363 ; in 
danger at sea, 364 ; inaugurates 
Suez Canal, 365-370 ; new fashions 
of, 371 ; favours Pope, 372 ; and 
Franco-Prussian War, 373-383 ; 
flight of, 384-390 ; arrives in Eng- 
land, 390 ; at Chiselhurst, 391-403 ; 
at husband's death-bed, 394 ; and 
son, 395-397 ; death of son of, 398- 
402 ; journey to Zululand, 403 ; re- 
visits France, 404; tributes to, 405. 
Evans, Dr. and Mrs., 386, 387, 388, 

389- 
Evreux, 125. 
Exposition of 1855, 288-294; of 1867, 

360-362. 
Eylau, 104. 



Fain, Baron, 209. 

Farnborough, 402, 404. 

Faubourg St. Germain, 48, 51. 

Fesch, Cardinal, 85, 333. 

Feuillet, 360. 

Figaro, 296. 

Filon, 390. 

First Consul, 44-79. 

Five Hundred, Council of, 28, 43, 44. 

Flahaut, Count of, 127. 

Fleury, General, 332. 

Fontainebleau, 2, 3, 84, 103, 106, 108, 
"2> "3) 135. i64) 168, 170, 190, 
205, 209, 212, 258, 261, 262, 299, 
305, 306, 307, 314, 328, 342, 346, 
360, 403. 

Fontenay, Mme. de, 9, 10. 

Fortune, 7, 21, 27. 

Fouche, 107. 

Fourfes, Mme., 39. 

Fox, 61. 

Francis II. (or I. of Austria), 148, 151, 
169, 199, 205, 208, 210, 213, 215, 
216, 218, 221, 225, 227, 230, 231, 
234, 237, 239, 240, 241, 242, 245, 
246, 247, 248. 

Francis, see King of Rome. 

Franco-Prussian War, 143, 357, 372- 
392. 

Frankenstein, 102. 

Fr6ius, 40, 213. 

Friedland, 105. 

Frossard, 340, 375. 

Fructidor, 28. 



Gaete, Duke of, 190. 

Gambetta, 382. 

Garter, Order of, 287. 

Gazelle, 388, 389, 390. 

Geneva, 52, 127, 131. 

Genoa, 24, 52. 

Gerard, 104, 184. 

German, 157, 183, 192, 225, 233, 260, 

304, 329, 357, 362, 372, 393. 
Germany, 30, 75,357,359- 
Ger6me, 348. 
Gohier, 43. 
Golfe du Lion, 335. 
Gounod, 320, 360. 
Gourgaud, General, 233, 
Grand Duke of Russia, 138, 306. 
Grandville, Lord, 389. 
Grenada, 250, 251. 
Grenoble, 223, 332. 
Gros, 24, 25. 
Gros Bois, 116. 
Guastella, 230. 
Guiche, Mme. de, 51. 
Guildhall, 287. 
Guzmans, 251. 

H. 

Hall of Battles, 320. 

Hall of Henry II., 328, 346-349. 

Hall of Marshals, 196, 197, 269, 270, 

305- 

Hall of Mirrors, 292. 

Ham, 257, 301, 382. 

Hanau, 193. 

Hapsburg, 149, 220. 

Hastings, 390. 

Hatzfelt, Mme. de, loi. 

Haussmann, 306, 386. 

Hohenzollern, 372. 

Holland, 40, 99, 178, 179, 344, 349. 

Holland, Lady, 235. 

Hortense de Beauharnais, or Queen 
Hortense, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, 20, 33, 34, 
36, 40, 41, 47, 51, 54, 55, 56, 59, 64, 
65, 71, 78, 79, 93, 99, 100, 104, 105, 
108, III, 113, 115, 116, 117, 119, 
120, 121, 125, 127, 132, 133, 134, 

135, 137, 138, 139, HO, 141, 142, 
146, 159, 160, 161, 168, 260, 327, 

395- 
H6tel de Ville, 92, 116, 152, 165, 284, 

300, 301, 382. 
House of Correction, 356. 
Hugo, 230. 

Hundred Guards, see Imperial Guards. 
Hungary, 145. 



410 



Index of Principal Names 



I. 

Imbert de St. Amand, 336. 

Imperial Body Guards, 285, 290, 305, 

323, 331. 354> 39°- 
Imperial Treasury, 247, 
Infant of Parma, 58. 
Inkermann, 285. 
Invalides, 53, 80, 171, 248, 292, 329, 

345-346, 403- 
Irving, Washington, 251. 
Isabella, Queen, 255, 256. 
Isabey, 83, 92, 212. 
Ismailia, 369. 
Italian and Italians, 26, 31, 55, 147, 

159, 161, 215, 235, 310, 314, 322, 

326, 346, 372, 384, 385. 
Italy, 14, 15, 20, 22, 31, 36, 37, 38, 39, 

52, 62, 78, 93, 94, 98, 99, 108, 117, 

125, 128, 159, 240, 241, 244, 245, 

311, 314, 315, 316, 325, 346, 374. 
Itelezi, 399. 

J. 

Jardin de Plantes, 298. 

Jena, 100. 

Josephine, 1-144 ; birth and education 
of, I, 2 ; marriage, 2 ; return to 
Martinique, 3; rejoins husband, 5; 
imprisonment of , 6-9 ; widow, 7-14; 
meets Napoleon, 11; betrothal, 12- 
13; marriage, 14; parts with Napo- 
leon, 15; love letters to, 15-23; 
triumph of, 16-17; journeys to Italy, 
20; at Milan, 20-23, 24, 28, 30; be- 
guiles Napoleon, 25 ; at Montebello, 
26, 27 ; at Passeriano, 28 ; at Venice, 
29; at Turin, 31; at Talleyrand's 
ball, 32, 33; at Toulon, 34: parts 
with Napoleon, 35 ; at Plombi feres, 
36, 62, III; rumors concerning, 36- 
38; Napoleon reproaches, 39; goes 
to meet Napoleon, 40; reconciled 
to Napoleon, 41 ; helps Napoleon, 
42, 43; uneasiness of, 44; at 
Luxembourg, 45 ; removes to Tui- 
leries, 46, 47; apartments of, 48; 
friends of, 48-50; a monarchist, 
51, 52; at review, 53; at Malmaison, 
36, 53) 54, 59, 60-63, 67, 75-77, 95, 
103, III, 112, 121-126, 128, 129, 131, 
133, 136, 137-140, 142, 143, 292; and 
infernal machine, 55-75; extrava- 
gance of, 4, 10, 23, 36, 50, 58, 66, 
67; generosity of, 58; plans mar- 
riage of Hortense, 59, 60; wants 
benediction, 60; with writing mas- 
ter, 61 ; at Notre Dame, 63; tour in 



West, 64 ; first grandchild of, 65 ; 
tact of, 67; jealousy of, 68, 79, loi; 
nurses Napoleon, 69 ; love of gossip, 
70; at St. Cloud, 71 ; tour in North, 
72, 73; with Princess Borghese, 74; 
and Duke of Enghein, 75-77; pleads 
for brothers-in-law, 78 ; hailed Em- 
press, 79, 80; at Aix-la-Chapelle, 
81; coronation of, 82-93; with 
Pope, 84; religious marriage of, 
85; pictures of, 92,93; journey to 
Italy, 94, 95; return to Paris, 96; 
journey northeast, 96-98; at mar- 
riage of Eugene, 98; at marriage 
of Stephanie, 99 ; at Mayence, 100 ; 
Napoleon unkind to, 103; loses 
grandson, 104; preliminaries of di- 
vorce, 106, 107 ; loses mother, loS ; at 
opera balls, 109 ; in Southern France, 
no; divorce of, 112-121 ; visited by 
Napoleon, 122, 123; at Trianon, 
123; and new marriage, 124; at 
Elysee, 125; at Navarre, 125, 126; 
at Aix, 127; Marie Louise jealous 
of, 128 ; and Napoleon's son, 129- 
131; fears of, 132, 133; flight of, 
134; Napoleon's letter to, 135, 136; 
with Bourbons, 137; last illness of, 
137, 138; death of, 139; burial of, 
140; mentions of, 141, 142, 143, 
144, 146, 147, 150, 159, 160, 161, 
169, 170, 175, 181, 183, 196, 219, 
265, 270, 278, 283, 284, 295, 328. 

Josephine, daughter of Eugene, 104. 

Junot, Duke of Abrantfes, 15, 16, 20, 
38, 39, 40, 60, 62. 

K. 

Khedive, 370. 

King of Rome, 129, 130, 131, 173- 
180, 183, 184, 185, 186, 187-190, 
191, 195-198, 201-203, 208, 212-215, 
217, 221, 223, 225, 226, 228, 230, 
231. 233, 234, 237-247, 270. 

Kirkpatrick, 250. 

Kleber, 40. 

Konigsberg, 182. 

Kriidener, Mme., 213. 

L. 

Laborde, 253. 

Laeken, 104. 

Laetitia, see Bonaparte, Mme. 

La Fert6, 6. 

La Lanterne, 363. 

Lamartine, 238. 



411 



Index of Principal Names 



La Roquette, 355. 

Las Cases, 233. 

Lazanski, Mme., 152. 

Leboeuf, Marshal, 373. 

Lebreton, Mile., 384, 385, 386, 387, 
404. 

Lebrun, 46, 47, 48, 88. 

Leclerc, General, 26, 73. 

Legion of Honour, 80, 274. 

Legislative Assembly, 5, 116, 175, 176, 
195, 264, 274, 317, 322, 373, 379, 
380, 381, 282. 

Legouv6, 360. 

Leipzig, 75, 132, 180, 194, 195. 

Lemarrois, 13. 

Leopold, 284. 

Lesseps, Ferdinand de, 250, 365, 366, 
368, 369, 370. 

Li6ge, 270. 

Ligne, Prince de, 223. 

Lille, 72. 

Linz, 151, 246. 

Little Bonaparte, see King of Rome. 

Little Corporal, 17. 

Lodi, 17. 

Loire, 299. 

Lombardy, 94. 

London, 253, 257, 287, 400. 

Longchamps, 361. 

Louis, or Loulou, see Prince Im- 
perial. 

Louis XV., 345. 

Louis XVL, 3, 5, II, 30, 45, 46, 48, 

59, 147- 
Louis XVIII. , 51, 52, 137, 141. 
Louis Napoleon, see Napoleon III. 
Louis Philippe, 241, 256, 258, 346, 

360. 
Louise the Pious, see Marie Louise. 
Louvre, 160, 204, 273, 291, 308, 378, 

384- 
Lowe, Sir Hudson, 233, 235. 
Lucca, 95, 248. 
Lun^ville, 57. 
Liitzen, 132, 192. 
Luxembourg, 10, 17, 31, 44, 45, 46, 47, 

48, 60. 
Lyons, 60, 93, 223, 275, 328, 331,379- 

M. 

Madame Mere, see Bonaparte, Mme. 

Madame Royale, 30. 

Madrid, 251, 253, 254, 256, 257, 350. 

Magenta, 322. 

Malaga, 250, 251. 

Malesherbe, 348. 

Malet, 131, 185, 186, 191. 



Malmaison, 36, 53, 54, 59, 60, 61, 62, 
63» 67, 75, 76, 'JT, 95, 103, III, 112, 
121, 122, 123, 124, 125, 126, 128, 
129, 131, 133, 136, 137, 138, 139, 
140, 142, 143, 292. 

Malta, 35. 

Mameluck Guards, 84. 

Mantes, 387. 

Mantua, 22, 25, 29. 

Manuela, see Montijo, Countess of. 

Marchand, Mme., 225. 

Marengo, 52, 94. 

Marie Amelie, 278, 293. 

Marie Antoinette, 2, 3, 6, 46, 47, 58, 
72, 149, 152, 160, 264, 272, 273,274, 
291,328,359, 385. 

Marie Louise, 125, 126, 128, 130, 131, 
132, 134, 135, 136, 13S, 145-249; 
birth and education of, 145 ; pro- 
posed as bride for Napoleon, 146; 
marriage contract of, 147; consent 
of, 148 ; description of, 148, 149 ; 
proxy marriage of, 150; journey to 
Braunau, 151, 152 ;trousseauof, 152, 
153 ; letter from, 154 ; plans for re- 
ception of, 155 ; Napoleon meets, 
155, 156; at Compifegne, 156-158; 
civil marriage, 159; religious mar- 
riage, 160, 161 ; household of, 162; 
with Metternich, 162, 163 ; rooms 
of, 163; honeymoon of, 164; wed- 
ding festivities of, 165, 166 ; court 
life of, 167, 168; stupidity of, 169, 
170; confinement of, 171-177; jour- 
ney of, 177, 178, 184; at baptism of 
son, 177-179; with son, 180, 183; 
at Dresden, 181, 182; at Prague, 
183 ; sends portrait to Napoleon, 
184; and Malet conspiracy, 185; 
welcomes Napoleon, 186 ; life with 
Napoleon, 187-191 ; Regent, 191- 
194; depression of, 195 ; with Na- 
tional Guards, 196, 197; receives 
flags, 198; letter to father, 199; 
quandary of, 200, 201 ; departure of, 
202-204 ; at Blois, 204-208 ; good 
intentions of, 206, 207 ; escorted to 
Orleans, 208 ; promised Parma, 209 ; 
despair of, 210; Napoleon sends for, 
211 ; at Rambouillet, 213; returns to 
Vienna, 214-216; Neipperg's prey, 
217; at Aix, 217-220; journey to 
Switzerland, 220 ; with Congress of 
Vienna, 221-225 ! parted from son, 
225; , expected in France, 226; 
Meneval's reports of, 226-228 ; hears 
of Waterloo, 229; degeneration of, 
230; Duchess of Parma, 231-249; 



412 



Index of Principal Names 



Napoleon's view of, 232-234, 235 ; 
hears of Napoleon's death, 235 ; 
morganatic marriage of, 236 ; indif- 
ference of, 237 ; loses Neipperg, 
238; second journey to Switzerland, 
239 ; sent for, 244 ; devotion to dy- 
ing son, 245, 246; marriage to Bom- 
belles, 247 ; death of, 248 ; estimate 
of, 249; mentions of, 265, 271, 294, 

314- 
Marie Th6rfese, 145, 201, 247. 
Marmont, Marshal, 205, 239, 240. 
Marseilles, 332, 379. 
Martinique, i, 4, 10, 13, 108, 135. 
Massena, 40. 
Mathilde, Princess, 260, 269, 290, 291, 

323, 345. 
Mayence, 82, 100, 104, 192. 
Maximilian, 244, 349, 359, 362. 
Maximilian of Bavaria, 307. 
Maximilian Joseph, 97. 
Mechlin, 73. 

Mediterranean Sea, 333, 370. 
Meissonier, 290, 360. 
Melegnano, 322. 
Mellinet, General, 383. 
M6neval, 114, 121, 209, 219, 226, 227, 

228. 
Mer de Glace, 128, 332. 
Merimee, Prosper, 252, 253, 273, 274, 

275. 353, 358, 360. 
Mettermch, Count of, 124, 146, 14b, 

154, 158, 162, 165, 167, 205, 210, 

213, 214, 217, 235. 
Metternich, Prince, 340, 384, 385. 
Metternich, Princess, 340, 341, 342, 

343- 
Meyerbeer, 304. 
Mexico, 244, 359, 360. 
Mignon, 320. 
Milan, 17, iS, 20, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 

30, 94, 98, 131. 
Millesimo, 16. 

Moncey, General, 197, 204, 248. 
Mont Blanc, 131. 
Montebello, 26, 27. 
Montebello, Mme. de, 162, 207. 
Montenotte, 16. 
Montenuovo, Count of, 236. 
Montereau, 325. 
Montesquieu, Countess of, 170, 172, 

173, i75> 176, -i-n, 178, 179, 187, 

188, 189, 195, 203, 207, 214, 217, 
225. 
Montijo, Countess of, 250, 251, 252, 
267, 269, 270, 274, 294, 295, 343, 

348, 374- 
Mont Valenen, 292. 



Moreau, General and Mme, 74, 75. 

Morny, Due de, 127, 326, 327, 355. 

Moscow, 184, 185. 

Mouchy, Duchess of, 262. 

Munich, 96, 97, 98, 152. 

Murat, 46, 60, 117, 155, 185, 217,336. 

Murat, Mme., see Caroline Bonaparte. 

N 

Naples, 256, for king and queen, see 

Murat and Caroline Bonaparte. 
Napoleon 1., 11-236, 239, 240, 246, 

247, 248, 250, 251, 252, 265, 270, 

296, 314, 315, y^l^ 329, 333. 345, 

346, 365- 
Napoleon II., 229, 230, 231, 240, see 

King of Rome. 
Napoleon III., no, 168, 253-294. 
Napoleon IV., 392, 394, 395, 399, see 

Prince Imperial. 
Napoleon Charles, 64, 65, 71, 78, 104, 

138. 
Napoleon Day, ^i, 283, 289, 308, 325, 

33o> 348, 365, 395- 
Napoleon, Pnnce, 267, 269, 290, 295, 

307, 314, 316, 317, 318, 326, 328, 

401. 
National Guard, 196, 197, 198, 202, 

377. 
Navarre, 112, 125, 128, 129, 130, 134, 

13s, 159- 

Neipperg, Count and General of, 154, 
182, 217, 218, 219, 220, 221, 222, 
223, 224, 225, 230, 231, 232, 235, 
236, 237, 238, 239, 247, 248. 

NeufchStel, Prince of, 150, 152. 

Neuilly, 387. 

Nice, 15, 16, 327, 333. 

Nicholas, see Czar, 328. 

Nigra, Chevalier de, 293, 384, 385. 

Nile, 366, 371. 

Nilsson, Christine, 402. 

Notre Dame, 63, 64, 85, 86, 116, 138, 
161, 177, 178, 185, 266, 270, 271, 
272, 288, 300, 313, 323. 

o. 

Old Guard, 109. 

Ollivier, 372. 

O'Meara, 233. 

Orange, 332. 

Orangerie, 160. 

Order of Filial Love, 11. 

Orleans, 207, 208, 209, 213, 241, 293, 

380. 
Orsini, 310-314, 323, 337. 



413 



Index of Principal Names 



Osborne, 307. 
Oscar, see Sweden. 
Ostende, 72. 



Palais d' Industrie, 288. 

Palais de Justice, 291. 

Palilcao, General de, 382. 

Palmerston, Lord, 366. 

Parma, 209, 212, 215, 216, 218, 222, 

224, 230, 231, 232, 234, 235, 236, 

237) 238, 248. 
Passeriano, 28. 
Pasteur, 360. 
Pauline Bonaparte, 26, 54, 73,74, 157, 

158. 
Peace Treaty, 298, 299. 
Pelissier, 283. 
Pepa, see Pollet, Mme, 
Persigny, 326, 327. 
Piacenza, 209. 
Picciola, 94. 
Pichegru, 75. 
Piedmont, 320. 
Pierrefonds, 348. 
Piombino, 95. 
Pius VII., 59, 63, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 

190, 191, see Pope. 
Place de la Concorde, 58, 160, 279, 

289, 382, 
Place de la R6volution, 58. 
Place Vend6me, 325. 
Plaisance, see Piacenza. 
Plombiferes, 35, 36, 62, iii, 301, 303, 

314- 
Poland and Poles, loi, 102, 105, 

240. 
Pollet, Mme., 350. 
Pope, 5, 25, 59, 93, 95, 107, III, 124, 

137, 142, 146, 159) 260, 295, 297, 

301, 325, 326, 332, 336, 346, 372. 
Port Royal, i. 
Port Said, 368, 369. 
Portugal, 260, 284, 289, 349. 
Prado, 239. 
Prague, 182, 183, 217. 
Pregny, 131. 
Prince Imperial, 300, 329, 330, 337, 

33S, 339, 340, 345. 346, 347, 353, 
360, 361, 362, 364, 365, 366, 367, 
374, 393, 394, 395, 396, 397, 398, 
399, 400, 401, 402, 403. 

Pnnce Imperial, 231, see King of 
Rome. 

Princess Royal, 292. 

Prokesch-Osten, 240, 243, 244, 246. 

Prud'hon, 171. 



Prussia and Prussian, 100, loi, 105, 
138, 181, 182, 206, 213, 304, 361, 

372, 373, 375, 392. 
Pyrenees, 105, 289, 325. 

Q- 

Queen Louise, loi, 105. 

Queen of Naples, 216, see Caroline 

Bonaparte. 
Queen of Spain, no, 117. 

R. 

Raguideau, 14, 87. 

Rambouillet, 135, 198, 203, 204, 213, 

214. 
Rapp, Gen., 55, 56, 57. 
Rastadt, 31. 
Red Sea, 370. 
R6gnault de St. Jean d'Ang61y, 117, 

118, 120. 

Reichstadt, Duke of, 230, see King 

of Rome. 
R6musat, Mme. de, 75, 76, 79, 122. 
Reuil, 140. 
Rheims, 316. 

Rhine, 5, 39, 82, 154, 185, 193, 329. 
Rhone, 299. 
Rivoli, 25, 87, 271. 
Robespierre, 9. 

Rochefort, Henri de, 363, 366. 
Rochefoucault, Mme. de la, 93. 
Roman Catholics, 85, 146, 265, 326, 

332, 337, 368, 372. 
Rome, 176, 325, 327. 
Room of the Three Swords, 67. 
Rostand, Edmond, 230, 231. 
Rouher, 373, 392, 400, 401. 
Rudolph of Hapsburg, 220. 
Russia and Russian, 30, 100, 105, in, 

124, 131, 132, 138, 147, 159, 181, 
182, 184, 185, 186, 187, 206, 208, 
211, 212, 213, 260, 282, 283, 285, 
306, 344, 361. 
Ryde Beach, 389. 



Saarbriick, 375. 

Sacred Heart Convent, 253, 254. 

Sadowa, 359, 378. 

St. Cloud, 279, 280, 281, 282, 289, 290, 
299, 3°i, 3°4, 307, 310, 314, 316, 
329, 330, 335, 348, 359, 360, 374, 
392- 

St. Germain, 292, 293, 385. 

St. Denis, 172, 274. 



414 



Index of Principal Names 



St. Helena, 103, 143, 222, 229, 232, 

235. 236, 237, 250. 
St. Leu, 137. 
St. Omar, 280. 
St. Petersburg, 147. 
St. Poltern, 151. 
St. Sauveur, 323. 
St. Sebastian, 309. 
Salenches, 332. 
Salon Carr6, i6o. 
Sardinia, 293. 

Savoy, 127, 216, 217, 21S, 327, 331. 
Schonbrunn, 146, 164, 214, 215, 220, 

224, 225, 237, 242, 243, 244, 245, 

396. 
Schouwaloff, General, 208. 
Schwarzenberg, Prince, 158, 165, 166. 
Scotland, 337. 
Sebastopo), 284, 293, 303. 
Sedan, 379, 390, 394. 
Seine, 158, 171, 201, 346, 403. 
Senate, 120, 123, 175, 176, 193, 194, 

201, 264, 274, 296, 322. 
Serbelloni, 20, 24. 
Siam, Embassy of, 346-349. 
Simplon, Mt., 52. 
Smith, Sir Sydney, 39. 
Solferino, 322, 323. 
Son of the Man, 232. 
Sophy, Archduchess, 244. 
Sovereigns' Museum, 273. 
Spain and Spanish, 110, iii, 189, 250, 

251, 253, 257, 260, 262, 265, 269, 

270, 274, 309, 349, 358, 372, 378, 

379, 382, 385, 392. 
Stael, Mme. de, 11, 32, 33, 58, 59, 213. 
Stephanie de Beauhamais, 98, 99, 100, 

III, 328. 
Strasburg, 96, 97, iii, 154, 241, 253, 

260, 327. 
Stuttgart, 96, 97, 112, 308. 
Suez Canal, 365-370. 
Sultan, 361. 
Sweden and Swredish, 217, 260, 295, 

348, 361- 
Switzerland, 40, 127, 219, 239, 395. 



Talleyrand, 32, 33, 47, ^t, 85, icS, 

201, 203, 205, 210, 213, 217, 222. 
Tallien and Mme., 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 

37, 42, 49- 
Talma, 10, 34. 
Tannhauser, 343. 
Tarascon, 332. 
Tascher de la Pagerie, i, 279. 

4 



T6ba, Count and Countess of, 250, 

251. 
Te Deum, 90, 116, 168, 185, 192, 215, 

272, 288, 300, 313, 323, 324, 325, 

331- 

Temple, 30. 

Theatre Fran^ais, 53. 

Thermidor, 7. 

Thomas, 360. 

Thonon, 332. 

Thouvenel, 328. 

Ticknor, George, 252. 

Tilsit, 105, 106. 

Tolentino, 25. 

Toulon, II, 23,34,35,333. 

Trautmannsdorff, Prince of, 153. 

Trianon, 3, 121, 122, 123, 131, 134, 
178, 191, 291. 

Trieste, 245. 

Trocadero, igi. 

Trochu, General, 379, 380, 390. 

Trois-Islets, i, 

Tuileries, 11, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 53, 
58, 60, 67, 70, 72, 74, 77, 80, 83, 86, 
91, 99, 100, 106, 107, 113, 114, 115, 
116, 117, 121, 124, 126, 141, 147, 
160, 161, 163, 171, 173, 174, 175, 
176, 178, 179, 186, 188, 191, 193, 
196, 197,198, 201, 203, 215,228,241, 
259, 266, 267, 269, 270, 271, 272, 
279, 288, 292, 294, 295, 296, 297, 

299, 3°3. 304> 3°5) 3oS> 31°, 312, 313, 
317, 320, 321, 322, 323, 327, 339, 
345, 34S, 349, 353, 362, 363, 3^4, 
376, 377, 378, 379, 382, 387, 390. 
391, 392, 404- 

Turbigo, 322. 

Turkey and Turkish, 99, 282, 283, 
285. 

Turin, 31, 95, 316, 328. 

Tuscany, 221, 

Tyrol, 214. 



Valence, 332. 

Valenciennes, 275, 280. 

Varennes, 5. 

Vendemiaire, 11. 

Vendres, 335. 

Venice and Venetians, 29, 366. 

Verdi, 304. 

Verly, Colonel, 354. 

Vemet, Horace, 304. 

Verona, 23, 24. 

Versailles, 36, 272, 291, 294, 320, 329, 

348. 
Vichy, 348. 



r 



15 



Index of Principal Names 



Victoire, rue, 36, 60. 

Victor Emmanuel, 293, 315, 316, 325, 

336, 346- 

Victoria, 284, 285, 286, 287, 289, 290, 
291, 292, 293, 307, 315, 337, 361, 
378, 392, 393. 396, 397, 402, 403. 

Vienna and Viennese, 124, 136, 145- 
149, 158, 163, 198, 213, 214, 215, 
216, 217, 220, 221, 223, 224, 225, 
226, 227, 229, 230, 231, 232, 235, 
23S, 241, 244, 246, 247, 248. 

Villa Eug6nia, 309, 350. 

Villa Franca, 324, 333. 

Ville d'Avray, 272. 

Vincennes, 75, 76, 80. 

Vinoy, General, 378. 

Viollet-le-Duc, 348. 

Virot, Mme., 352. 

Visconti, 345. 

Vosges, Mts., 35, 304. 

w. 

Wachau, 194. 
Wagner, 343. 
Wagram, 146, 147. 

Walewska, Mme., 102-104, 106, 135, 
219. 



Walewski, 305, 306, 327, 365, 

Warsaw, 185. 

Waterloo, 103, 142, 180, 229, 286. 

Weissembourg, 375, 

West Indies, i, 2, tj,. 

Wight, Isle of, 307. 

Wilhelmshohe, 391, 392. 

William, 392. 

Windsor, 285, 286, 403. 

Woerth, 375. 

Woolwich, 393, 394, 395. 

Worth, M., 352. 

Wiirmser, 21, 22, 25. 

Wiirtemberg, 106, 299, 



Xaintine, 94. 



Yvon, 320. 



X. 



Y. 



Zulu and Zululand, 262, 396, 399, 403. 
Ziirich, 325, 327. 



416 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



019 642 528 7 



km 



mm 



